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Industry Answers Its Own Call to Action at the 2026 Central Mississippi Manufacturing Summit

Robin Parker   |   October 23, 2026

Industry panelists seated in front of a Nissan backdrop at the 2026 Central Mississippi Manufacturing Summit
Industry panelists at the 2026 Central Mississippi Manufacturing Summit, Nissan Training Center, Canton.

On October 20, 2026, manufacturers, community colleges, universities, state agencies, economic developers, and K-12 partners met at the Nissan Training Center in Canton for the 2026 Central Mississippi Manufacturing Summit. The day had one purpose: turn what industry told us at registration into a workforce plan for 2027.

The summit took its theme from the manufacturers who planned it: A Call to Action. The industry planning committee — Siemens Energy, Nissan, Ergon, Continental Tire, McNeely Plastics, and Raytheon — said they were tired of talking about workforce. They wanted to move.

The Day in Brief

  • Your Move: Making Apprenticeship Work in Central Mississippi — Chad Robinson, Siemens Energy, and Deano Harrison, Mississippi Office of Apprenticeship, on what it takes to build pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs here.
  • Build It Before They Graduate: Nissan’s Centers of Excellence — Jason Derryberry, Nissan North America, on placing full-time Nissan employees in high schools to teach advanced manufacturing.
  • FAME: The Industry-Led Path to Advanced Manufacturing Careers — Paul Thomas, The Manufacturing Institute, on the industry-led FAME model.
  • World-Class Workforce, Mississippi Made — Tobias Hacker, Continental Tire; Garrett Wright, Rankin First; and Courtney Taylor, AccelerateMS; moderated by Trey Smith, AccelerateMS.

In the afternoon, industry set its priorities in its own breakout session while workforce partners met on partnership opportunities. Industry reported out over lunch.

The message was direct. Companies are often asked the same questions by four or five different organizations. A council lets industry speak with one voice to workforce partners, high schools, community colleges, and local workforce boards — so companies compete with each other, not against each other, and everyone wins with a qualified workforce.

What Industry Decided

  • One voice for industry. Form a Central Mississippi Manufacturing Council, a subcommittee aligned with the Mississippi Business Alliance’s statewide Manufacturing Council. Build shared training needs first, then company-specific needs.
  • Durable skills ranked #1. Physical readiness (the “industrial athlete”), work ethic and employer expectations, and mindset.
  • Step Up, done systematically. Review the Basic Manufacturing Skills/High Performance Manufacturing course and launch it in spring 2027.
  • More time inside facilities. Internships, job shadowing, and plant tours for CTE instructors, career coaches, and counselors.

What’s Next

On Wednesday, October 28, from 9 to 10 a.m., partners will meet on Microsoft Teams to review the course’s curriculum, tools, and equipment, and decide whether it can start a pre-apprenticeship. Copiah-Lincoln, Holmes, and Southwest Mississippi community colleges are invited.

Already Moving

After the summit, several companies and community college partners toured Nissan’s training facility and identified affordable robots and other equipment that better match what employers need from new hires.

The Summit in Pictures

Chad Robinson of Siemens Energy speaking at the 2026 Central Mississippi Manufacturing Summit
Chad Robinson, Workforce Development Lead for North America, Siemens Energy

Tobias Hacker of Continental speaking on a summit panel
Tobias Hacker, Continental, on the “World-Class Workforce, Mississippi Made” panel

Jason Derryberry of Nissan North America presenting at the summit
Jason Derryberry, Nissan North America, on Nissan’s Centers of Excellence

Deano Harrison of the Mississippi Office of Apprenticeship speaking at the summit
Deano Harrison, Executive Director, Mississippi Office of Apprenticeship

Garrett Wright of Rankin First speaking on a summit panel
Garrett Wright, Executive Director, Rankin First Economic Development Authority

Robin Parker of South Central Mississippi Works addressing summit attendees
Robin Parker, Workforce Director, South Central Mississippi Works

Chad Robinson of Siemens Energy speaking during the apprenticeship session
Chad Robinson, Siemens Energy, during the “Your Move” apprenticeship session

Robin Parker speaking to attendees at the summit
Robin Parker addresses summit attendees

Thank You

Thank you to Nissan for hosting, and to our partners Rankin First, Hinds County EDA, Madison County EDA, Hinds Community College, Holmes Community College, and AccelerateMS.

Employers interested in the Central Mississippi Manufacturing Council, and job seekers interested in manufacturing careers and training, can connect with a WIOA Career Coach at their nearest WIN Job Center.

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