Thousands of eighth grade students from across the state will descend onto East Mississippi Community College’s Communiversity next week to get hands-on experience with construction careers at the sixth annual FORGE Your Path Career Expo.
Jim Sutherland, a career coach at Columbus High School, said in his four years volunteering at the event he always loves seeing the lightbulb moments that happen for the eighth graders.
“It gives these kids an opportunity to start thinking now in eighth grade, what they want to possibly do, instead of waiting till their junior year or maybe even their senior year to figure out, ‘Oh, what am I going to do?’” Sutherland told The Dispatch.
About 2,200 students from more than 29 schools will take over the Communiversity from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 22-23, where they will have the chance to explore construction careers through hands-on experience with power tools and construction machinery while also speaking to workers in the industry, FORGE Executive Director Melinda Lowe said.
“The experience connects them directly with industry professionals who can inspire and guide them toward rewarding career paths in the trades,” Lowe said. “It’s not just a field trip; it’s an opportunity for students to discover their strengths, build confidence, and see how they can be part of building Mississippi’s future.”
Founded in 2018 with the goal of bringing attention to careers in construction, FORGE stands for Family Organizations Recruiting Great Employees, representing its five founding companies: Graham Roofing, APAC, West Brothers Construction, Burns Dirt Construction and McCrary-West Construction. The Expo is just one of several events the nonprofit hosts each year.
The expo will kick off Oct. 21 with a Business After Hours event from 5-7 p.m. at The Communiversity, which will give trade partners, community members and sponsors a chance to network and explore the expo before students arrive the next day.
Sutherland said the expo is incredibly helpful in showcasing skilled careers to students who may not have known about them otherwise. Over the past year Sutherland said he’s probably interacted with more than 20 students who were inspired by the expo experience to pursue careers in trades.
“I think it’s a great deal,” Sutherland said. “I think it’s something that needs to continue to go because I’ve seen the fruits of it.”
Expanding the mission
Earlier this month, FORGE announced the founding of its new Golden Triangle Chapter, which Lowe said is the nonprofit’s second chapter in the state.
“The Golden Triangle is where FORGE began … and the success of our programs here has proven that strong partnerships between education and industry can transform career readiness,” Lowe said. “The Golden Triangle model is the foundation we’re using to expand into other areas.”
The organization also has plans for starting a third chapter in Central Mississippi to reach even more students, Lowe said.
“Our plan is to grow FORGE’s impact by creating a statewide network of regional chapters,” Lowe said. “Each chapter will serve as a hub for connecting education, industry and families, ensuring that students have access to hands-on career exploration opportunities.”
Nic Parish, vice president of operations at Burns Dirt Construction, said that the newest chapter gives increased support for future endeavors in the local area for the organization.
“The executive board is focused on the big picture — keeping FORGE strong across the whole state,” Parish said. “The GT board is more boots-on-the-ground, connecting directly with local students, schools and businesses. My hope is that this setup grows both ways (with a) stronger statewide strategy, and stronger local results.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
