EMCC’s Communiversity Will Help Students Develop A Trade And Gear Up For Workforce

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- The next generation of work-force training development is weeks away from its first day.

This fall, East Mississippi Community College’s Communiversity will welcome its first class.

Among the hundreds of students who’ll be coming through the doors is Starkville native Marcuevas Guido.

“I wasn’t going to go to college at first, but I looked into some things that I can take up, like a trade, so I just came and got a skill,” said Guido, who recently graduated from Starkville High School.

Guido said he knew learning a trade was the first step towards accomplishing his long-term goal.

“I came for electrical technology so I can learn how to wire houses,” he said.

The recent SHS graduate said his long-term goal involves his younger brother Jhitwan Rogers, who’s also an incoming freshman.

“Me and my brother Guido trying to get our own electrical business,” said Rogers, incoming freshman at EMCC.

As a result, the two brothers saw EMCC’s Communiversity as the perfect starting point and decided to enroll.

“I’m looking forward to finishing the program, getting my certificate, and getting my associates degree.

The Communiversity offers students a chance to get hands on experience operating all of the machinery used by area industries.

“They’ll be doing everything from learning what hand tools are, how to use hand tools, wiring, industrial motor controls, fluid power machining, robotics, mechatronics like the machine you see behind me, and a wide and variety of different subjects and skills that they’ll be learning,” said Ben Harris, Mechatronics Instructor at EMCC.

The $42 million facility will house 16 classrooms and 21 high bay learning areas.

The college has partnerships with local industries.

School leaders said its their goal to have students trained to work in those industries once they finish the program.

“The training spaces within it are a draw that we’ve never had as a career technical program before, and the opportunities for students to train and get jobs in this area that are well paying jobs is tremendous,” said Joe Cook, Dean and Workforce Director at EMCC.

Thursday will be the last day for the public to tour the new state of the art facility.

Tours will take place from 8 A-.M. to 8 P.M.