What Others are Saying

Read statements of support for the Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative and GREAT.

“Mississippi's people have been working hard to rebuild our state following Hurricanes Katrina, but the fact is that much more work still needs to be done, and we could make ever greater progress if we had more construction workers. This program is a win-win-win for Mississippi, men and women are getting trained tuition free for well-paying and long-term jobs in the construction industry; businesses are getting skilled workers, and we can continue our work to rebuild Mississippi and keep our economy growing.”
– Haley Barbour, Governor of Mississippi

“We are pleased that the State's system of WIN Job Centers is a part of this project. It is a perfect complement for all of the training and services available at the Centers to individuals in need of training and retraining and to businesses looking for skilled workers.”
– Tommye Dale Favre, Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Employment Security

“This is the right project at the right time for Mississippi, it will be an important step forward in developing a skilled workforce in our state and will boost our efforts to ensure a healthy economic future for the Gulf South.”
– Brian Sanderson, President of the Gulf Coast Business Council

“We are proud to be a part of this program to help rebuild our state and the lives of residents here, it is critical that we can meet the unprecedented surge in demand for a trained workforce to assist in rebuilding our state.”
– Dr. Willis Lott, President of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

“Our System is supportive of the Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative and the I'm GREAT Campaign. The campaign will complement our pathways to construction employment initiative and assist us in our current efforts to recruit students to participate in our training programs. We will need a trained workforce of unprecedented scale to assist in rebuilding the Gulf Coast, and meeting this surge in demand will be critical to the rebuilding of our state. This partnership is definitely welcomed.”
– Walter G Bumphus, LCTCS president

“Throughout the South, residents are seeking good jobs at the same time contractors need skilled construction workers. This project is exactly what we need. It will develop a skilled workforce and ensure a healthy economic future for the Gulf South.”
– Michael Matlock, site maintenance leader of Dow Chemical Co.'s Louisiana facilities

“The massive challenge of reconstruction in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita offers a major opportunity to build skills and employment in the impacted region, especially among disadvantaged and displaced residents, helping the region retain and develop its residents, and accelerating its economic recovery,”
– Riley Bechtel, Chairman and CEO of the Bechtel Group, Inc.

“This program [GREAT] is a good example of the progress being made to employ the residents of the Coast in the ongoing work of rebuilding the communities in which they live. This Coast-wide effort will help address our immediate need to rebuild and recover following the hurricanes, while equipping those left unemployed by Hurricane Katrina with skills that will enable them to build a career in the construction industry.”
– Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS)

“While the residents of Louisiana and Mississippi have demonstrated their resilience in the months following last fall’s hurricanes, there’s a great deal of work still ahead, and we need skilled workers to get the job done. I’m pleased to see business, labor and other groups working together to lend a helping hand to rebuild our communities and revitalize our economy.”
– Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA)