May 16, 2019

A graduation ceremony for students who completed East Mississippi Community College’s Gateway Program took place Thursday, May 16, at the Noxubee Civic Center in Macon.

More than 160 students have completed the program over the last year. Approximately two dozen students participated in the graduation ceremony.

“Every opportunity starts here,” Gateway Career Navigator Yulanda Haddix said. “We are the gate to your career pathways.”

The Gateway Program operates under the umbrella of EMCC’s Workforce and Community Services Division and is offered free of charge to residents of Clay, Lowndes and Noxubee counties who are not in school and are between the ages of 16 to 24 years old.

Students who did not graduate from high school are referred to EMCC’s Adult Education Department, where they earn their high school equivalency diploma before entering the Gateway Program.

Students in the Gateway Program are taught essential job skills, such as communication, social media use, teamwork, financial literacy and work ethics. They also complete their WorkKeys and receive SMART START training, which focuses on job skills training and testing.

After completion of the Gateway Program the students are placed in a paid internship and can also enter short-term technical training with Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act assistance. 

They also receive 12 months of follow-up job assistance after finishing the program. All services are free of charge.

For more information about the Gateway Program, contact Haddix or Gateway Career Navigator Morris Harris. Haddix can be reached at 856.220.0222 or by email at yhaddix@eastms.edu. Harris can be reached at 662.243.1847 or by email at mharris@eastms.edu.