One in five Mississippi adults over the age of 25 do not have a high school degree according to U.S. Census quick facts.

Through the Mississippi Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training program, Hinds Community College is looking to provide new opportunities for those individuals, Dr. Robin Parker said.

“The purpose of the program is to bring adult learners who are at a very low skill up to a skill level that they can go out and get a job,” she said. “What that really means is we take a student who has not completed high school, most of our students are unemployed and just about all of our students are below the poverty level.”

Parker said the program is designed to be concurrent with an adult basic education program as well as a specialized skills component.

Students go to class four days a week where they prepare to take the GED exam and other certifications.

“We don’t just prepare them for the GED, we prepare them for national certifications as well,” she said.

Parker said students complete certifications such as OSHA and CPR as part of the program.

“That is something that industries really look at,” she said. “That will give them a heads up when they actually go look for a job.”

The key is to impress upon the students that academics are important to be good at any type of skilled work, Parker said.

“That old saying — measure twice, cut once — that’s a perfect example,” she said.

Riverwalk Casino Human Resources Manager Holley Hood said she has hired someone who completed the MI-BEST program.

Candidates wishing to work at Riverwalk take a test, and if they don’t pass it, they are encouraged to complete the program at Hinds before coming back to take the test again, Hood said.

“We’re just excited that we have the opportunity to work with Hinds and offer the people in the community the chance to improve their skills and possibly gain employment through that,” she said.

“We’re proud to be a part of that process,” she said

For more information about the MI-BEST program, email Robin Parker at robinann.parker@hindscc.edu.