Work force training program to help furniture industry

TUPELO - The state's $4 billion furniture industry will get much-needed - and much-wanted - help, thanks to a federal grant to fund a new work force training and development program.

The U.S. Department of Labor's two-year, $500,000 grant will be used for a specialized program administered by Mississippi State University, in collaboration with Itawamba Community College and Tupelo-based Community Development Foundation.

Officials from the schools, along with local business and community leaders, announced the program Thursday at CDF.

The money will fund training programs at the Advanced Education Center in Tupelo and area WIN Job centers, and on site at the furniture manufacturers. The program is free on a first-come, first-serve basis.

"Ninety-five percent of the state's furniture manufacturing industry is located in Northeast Mississippi, representing some 200 manufacturers and 22,000 jobs and some 75 percent of the furniture manufacturing suppliers," said Liam Leightley, an MSU research professor who is the principal investigator for the project, "so you can see that this area and this type of program is very important to us in this area and this state,"

Two years ago, MSU's Franklin Furniture Institute began surveying needs of furniture manufacturers, with 165 companies giving their input. From that inquiry, the industry's greatest needs were identified as ergonomics, health and safety, leadership, motivation and performance management.

"We developed the program based on what they told us," Leightley said.

With ICC's established expertise in work force training and development and MSU's expertise in working with the furniture industry, it only made sense to get them to work together on the project, officials said.

Todd Beadles, CDF's director of workforce development and training, said the program is designed to improve employee attitudes, create higher retention rates, lessen absenteeism and improve efficiency. Getting all the parties to work together was the most logical thing to do, he said.

Steve Taylor, director of the Franklin Furniture Institute, said clients have been lining up for three weeks and that everyone "has hit the ground running."

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Information from: Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, http://www.djournal.com