PEARL – Job seekers in Pearl and surrounding communities in and around Rankin County can now seek employment plus a whole lot more at the newly-opened WIN Job Center on the grounds of Ӱ Rankin Campus.
College officials and others representing partnering entities that made the center’s new location inside the campus administration building a reality marked the occasion with a formal program April 7.
“We are proud to be a partner in this new WIN Job Center with Central Mississippi Planning and Development and with Ӱ,” said Laura Ring, deputy executive director of the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. “We heard earlier it’s about Mississippians get jobs. That’s the mission of Employment Security and it’s a great day in workforce. I look forward to hearing the success stories of citizens of Mississippi being served on this campus and employers getting the candidates they need through our services.”
In 2021, the college assumed programmatic and operation responsibilities of providing work of local offices in Vicksburg, Jackson and Pearl for Mississippi’s primary employment services functions. The ceremony completes a move from the center’s longtime previous location off Hwy. 80, on St. Paul Street. The previous location was the first WIN Job Center established in Mississippi, in 2000.
The center’s new digs offer office space for a staff of 11, a computer lab for searching employment opportunities and additional room for business and industry to utilize to attract employees and offer training for job seekers. Sharing space on campus puts job-seekers within easy access to career and technical training opportunities through Ӱ.
“It’s exciting for us to open up the new WIN Job Center, which is what I think is a tremendous partnership between the college, our state, all the different agencies and officials,” said Ӱ President Dr. Stephen Vacik. “I think it’s all about putting people to work.”
Federal programs overseen by the job center can help pay tuition and associated costs for job seekers can return to school, said Mary Powers, workforce director for Central Mississippi Planning and Development District. Other programs, she said, assist employers with training costs for new employees.
“This is a wonderful partnership between Ӱ, the Department of Employment Security and the workforce area,” Powers said. “The new location will increase the visibility of the center and the benefits available for job seekers. It is our mission to help people connect with permanent employment. That’s what we are all about – the school, the workforce area, the job center. That’s our purpose for being here.”
For more information on services offered by the center, contact 601.936.1903 or visit
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From left, Ӱ employees Jeanette Moncure, Kimberly Tyler, Stacia Webb; and Candace Vincent, of Paul Davis Restoration
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Ӱ President Dr. Stephen Vacik
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Mary Powers, workforce director for Central Mississippi Planning and Development District
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Laura Ring, deputy executive director of the Mississippi Department of Employment Security
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From left, Kathy Deer, executive director of the Pearl Chamber of Commerce, Robin Parker, Workforce Coordinator for Central Mississippi Planning and Development District, Mandi Arinder, president and CEO of the Rankin Chamber of Commerce, Janet Reihle, executive director of The Chamber of Flowood and Visitor Center
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Ӱ Board of Trustees President Paul Breazeale and Ӱ President Dr. Stephen Vacik prepare to cut the ribbon.
