September 15, 2025

East Mississippi Community College Adult Education graduate Glynis Lambeth was among the inaugural class of nine students who graduated Aug. 22 from the FlightPath9 MS Aviation Manufacturing Technology program at The Communiversity.

The program is the result of a partnership between Airbus Helicopters Inc., Flight Works Alabama, AcclerateMS and EMCC.

The graduation took place on a Friday and the graduates began paid apprenticeships at Airbus Helicopters on the following Monday with full benefits, including 401K and vacation accrual. They will serve alongside mentors as trainees for a period of 14 months to 16 months.

“It is pretty awesome,” Lambeth said during her third week into the job. “While I can’t go into a lot of detail, I am an aircraft technician apprentice. We work on the airframe and installing different things on the helicopters.”

Lambeth is among a growing list of EMCC Adult Education students who segued into training programs at the college. Some, like Lambeth, completed short-term workforce training programs at EMCC, while others earned one-year certificates or associate degrees from EMCC.

“We’ve had a lot of great success stories,” EMCC Adult Education Director Tshurah Dismuke said. “Some of our graduates completed career technical programs and entered the workforce while others transferred to four-year universities. There is no limit to the educational level the students can achieve once they earn a GED or high school equivalency diploma.”

Not all Adult Education students dropped out of high school. Some failed a subject area and could not graduate with their peers. Lambeth was home-schooled and some requirements for tracking her progress were not met, so she enrolled in EMCC’s Adult Education Department to earn her high school diploma.

“Everyone in the Adult Education Department was amazing,” said Lambeth, a Hamilton native who now resides in West Point. “Without them I definitely would not be where I am today.”

Lambeth, 21, who helped homeschool two of her younger brothers, talked them into also earning their high school diplomas through EMCC’s Adult Education program.

“They are both enrolled at EMCC’s Lion Hills Center,” Lambeth said. “One is taking the Culinary Arts Technology program and the other is enrolled in Golf & Recreational Turf Management.”

As for Lambeth, she was among 10 students who were accepted into the FlightPath9 MS Aviation Manufacturing Technology program. Training in the 10-week program was free for the students and they received a $100 stipend for every day they were in class.

EMCC already provided training in Avionics Cabling, which teaches students the basics of building wiring harnesses to aviation specifications, and in Composites Manufacturing Assembly, which entails working with materials used in constructing the outer hull of aircraft. That training was incorporated into the Aviation Manufacturing Technology program. EMCC still offers Avionics Cabling as a standalone program.

EMCC’s training was supplemented with modules provided through FlightPath9, which is a pre-employment training program created by Flight Works Alabama in 2019 to prepare individuals for employment at Airbus’ U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile, Alabama, where the company’s assembly site for its commercial airplane division is located.

EMCC was awarded an Aviation Manufacturing Technology grant by AccelerateMS to purchase equipment and provide training for program instructors to receive teaching certifications, EMCC Workforce Business Outreach Training Manger Carlton (Ray) Hollis said.

“The training hinged on our ability to procure the additional equipment,” Hollis said. “This program would not have been a success without the support of AccelerateMS.”

Training took place in EMCC’s Avionics Cabling lab, as well as at the Mississippi Advanced Composites Training Center, which is also located at The Communiversity and is the result of a partnership between EMCC and Mississippi State University’s Advanced Composites Institute. At the end of the training, the students earned a certificate from EMCC, as well as multiple industry-recognized certificates.

EMCC received a $1.5 million grant from AccelerateMS to purchase equipment for the Mississippi Advanced Training Center. Launched in 2021, AccelerateMS promotes workforce development and economic growth in Mississippi through collaboration with state agencies, educational institutions, businesses and community organizations.

“The strength of Mississippi’s workforce lies in collaboration,” AccelerateMS Executive Director Dr. Courtney Taylor said. “Partnerships between adult education, community colleges, and industry are essential to accelerating the development of the talent needed to meet today’s growing demands. Industry identifies the skills required, and our education partners provide training that equips individuals for success. Together, this collaboration ensures opportunity is within reach for anyone willing to put in the effort.”

EMCC President Dr. Scott Alsobrooks said partnerships like the one with Flight Works Alabama and Airbus benefit students and industries alike.

“Our goal is to serve as a conduit to meet the needs of both our communities and our local industries,” Alsobrooks said. “One of the great aspects of this program is the paid apprenticeships offered by Airbus. Apprenticeships instill valuable skillsets needed by industries while providing employees the ability to earn while they learn.”

As for Lambeth, she is continuing her training at EMCC. She is enrolled in a Precision Manufacturing & Machining Technology class and a Composites class, which are both offered at The Communiversity in the evening hours after her work at Airbus is done.

“This is something I am doing on my own, but the skills I am learning will apply to my work at Airbus,” Lambeth said. “In 10 years, I hope to be well experienced at Airbus and in a leadership position so I can share my knowledge with other people. I want to continue to expand my education and invest in my future.”