Mississippi approves UPSKILL grant pilot to help adults cover college costs
Gov. Tate Reeves signed House Bill 562 in April, creating the UPSKILL (Upgrading Priority Skills for Key Industry Learning and Labor) Mississippi Grant pilot to help adults pay for community college and job training, lawmakers and state officials said.
The program will provide last-dollar scholarships to adults 24 or older who are Mississippi residents for at least two years and seeking credentials tied to jobs that pay a living wage, the legislation says. The State Financial Aid Office will oversee the grants, which will cover remaining tuition costs after other aid and scholarships are applied.
The law also provides a $500 annual stipend for books and supplies and allows eligible students to receive a $250 emergency aid stipend each semester for needs such as childcare, bus vouchers or gas cards, according to the bill and program descriptions cited by state officials.
Courtney Taylor, executive director of AccelerateMS, the state workforce agency, said additional details about the program’s costs and funding source are still being ironed out and that AccelerateMS plans to fund the pilot from its operating budget. Taylor said the state aims to launch the program in January.
Sen. Nicole Boyd, R-Oxford, who sponsored the bill, said the UPSKILL program targets priority careers and creates a pathway for residents with few resources. “It truly puts people on a real path to a high-skill, high-paying job and limits the debt they have to get there,” Boyd said. The Legislature also approved $1 million in opioid settlement funds for a separate pilot aimed at residents in recovery, which is set to launch this summer, lawmakers said.
The initiative comes as officials seek to boost Mississippi’s workforce. About 12% of state residents have some college but no degree, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Community college tuition varies across Mississippi; Hinds Community College lists tuition and fees between $3,700 and $4,300 on its website, and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College lists starting tuition and fees at about $4,200 on its cost-of-attendance page.
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