Hinds Community College will have a ribbon-cutting and building dedication ceremony for the Regional Maritime Training Center on Highway 27 near the Vicksburg-Warren Campus.

The ceremony will be at 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 6. The center will be dedicated to the memory of the late Dr. Chad Stocks, who was instrumental in its creation.

Dr. Stocks was a 1991 alumnus of Hinds Community College who had a heart for career-technical education and workforce training projects that meant good paying jobs for Mississippi’s people. He had a gift for creating alliances with local employers that led to many successful partnerships, to the benefit of both Hinds, its students and local employers.

He started work at Hinds in 2002 as an agriculture instructor and moved up the ladder until he became Vice President of Workforce and Community Development, serving in that capacity until his death in 2021.

He was at the forefront of establishing the Regional Maritime Training Center and led the drive to have Hinds named as a Center of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education. There are 32 institutions across the country that have this designation, with maritime training locations in 17 states and Guam.

To be recognized as a CoE, training sites must offer one or more afloat or ashore career preparation tracks in the U.S. Maritime industry, meet applicable accreditation requirements and have a demonstrated record of success in maritime workforce training and education.

In response to requests from local employers, Hinds Community College has been offering deckhand training and other skills for river barge workers since 2013, thanks initially to a U.S. Department of Labor grant.

The Chad Stocks Regional Maritime Training Center will host skills and knowledge training for high-paying jobs on the Mississippi River and other U.S. inland waterways. Future phases of the training center will include living quarters, a galley and dining area for the students and faculty, two technical laboratories, and a simulation center. The dedicated facility will simulate a real-world experience that will help students prepare for a career as a mariner.