Workforce Development

About the Workforce Division

The Workforce Development Division oversees the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs, AccelerateMS Career Coach Program, & Career STEP Program. We serve as fiscal and administrative agent for the Mississippi Partnership Workforce Development Area, which covers 27-counties in the north/northeast part of the state, as well as for the Career STEP and High School Career Coach programs. We strive for our workforce area’s Workforce Services to be able to help an individual no matter where they fall on the spectrum of the workforce – whether they are a student in high school developing a career path, entering the workforce for the first time, re-entering the workforce, someone in the workforce who needs to be trained in order to advance in their career, someone interested in a career change, or someone who has been laid off who needs assistance securing new employment.

The goal of all our Workforce Services is to provide the citizens in our area the support and opportunity to gain skills necessary to obtain employment that leads to self- sufficiency while developing a qualified pipeline of potential employees to sustain and expand their business’s economic viability.

Request for Proposals for Temporary Staffing Services

The Three Rivers Planning & Development District (TRPDD) is advertising for sealed proposals to establish a contract with a provider for temporary staffing services for its AccelerateMS Career Coach Program that is funded by State of Mississippi funds. The Career Coach Program will serve the following counties of Alcorn, Attala, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay, DeSoto, Grenada, Itawamba, Lafayette, Lee, Lowndes, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Union, Webster, Winston, and Yalobusha. This advertisement is conducted pursuant to the applicable regulations and policies of the State of Mississippi, Mississippi Department of Employment Security, AccelerateMS, and Three Rivers Planning & Development District.

Copies of the Request for Proposals (RFP) will be available from Three Rivers Planning & Development District, beginning April 1, 2026. Copies of the RFP can be obtained on or after this date by downloading a copy of the RFP by clicking here or contacting Courtney Rackley at the Three Rivers office by email crackley@trpdd.com or phone at 662-489-2415. Completed proposal packages should be submitted to Three Rivers Planning & Development District, 75 South Main Street, P.O. Box 690, Pontotoc, MS 38863 no later than 10:00 a.m. CST May 1, 2026; proposals received after this deadline will not be considered responsive to this RFP. The initial contract awarded period will be July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, with the option to extend the contract annually up to three additional years with the approval of both parties.

Minority and Woman Owned Business Enterprises are solicited to submit proposals on this project as prime contractors.

TRPDD is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and hereby notifies that all Proposers will be afforded the full opportunity to submit proposals in response to this advertisement for proposals and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual preference, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status in consideration for an award.

TRPDD reserves the right to waive any informality or to reject any or all Proposals with or without reason.

Questions or comments concerning this advertisement for sealed proposals shall be directed to Terry Treadaway – Workforce Development Division Director at TRPDD by telephone at (662) 489-2415 or by email at ttreadaway@trpdd.com.

Public Comment Period for Proposed WIOA Waivers

AccelerateMS is accepting public comments on proposed Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) waiver requests that will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor. These waivers are intended to provide additional flexibility for Mississippi’s workforce development system to better respond to employer needs and support jobseekers across the state.

Stakeholders and members of the public are invited to review the proposed waivers and submit comments for consideration. Written comments must be received no later than April 4, 2026. Comments should be submitted by email to Jeremiah Willis at jwillis@acceleratems.org. All comments received during the public comment period will be reviewed and incorporated as appropriate prior to submission of the waiver requests.

To review the proposed waivers, click here.

WIN Job Centers

We have 11 WIN Job Centers strategically located throughout our 27-county service area. These WIN Job Centers offer valuable one-stop services to both job seekers and employers in our region. These Centers combine federal, state, and community college programs to ensure the highest quality of employment and training services. Job search assistance and career counseling as well as Individual Training Accounts (ITAs), On-the-Job Training (OJT), Apprenticeships, and Internships are offered through the WIN Job Centers. For more information regarding our WIN Job Centers, you may contact Rebecca Brantley at rbrantley@trpdd.com.

Gateway Youth Programs

Our Gateway Youth Programs are designed to assist young adults, ages 16-24 by providing services that helps them obtain an education, receive training, and offers a paid internship component. These programs offer comprehensive services that help youth gain essential job skills and training that lead youth to careers. For more information regarding our Gateway Youth Programs you may contact Courtney Rackley at crackley@trpdd.com.

Career STEP Program

Three Rivers, in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) and TANF, implements the Career Skills Training Employment Pathways (STEP) Program. The Career STEP Program serves 16–59-year-old parents of dependent children who are unemployed or underemployed. We provide a mix of services from career coaching, resume preparation, job search assistance, supportive services, and assistance with training costs to help these individuals secure employment and place them on a path to self-sufficiency. For more information about our Career STEP Program, you may contact Gary Golden at ggolden@trpdd.com.

Career Coach Program

In partnership with AccelerateMS, we have 78 Career Coaches in 72 high schools within 40 different school districts throughout our region. Career Coaches in the schools allow students to be exposed, prepared, and connected to career avenues within and beyond the classroom setting. These Coaches work with students to develop a career pathway, develop job shadowing and internship opportunities, and help the student transition from high school to either post-secondary education, the military, or the workforce. You can follow the Three Rivers Career Coaches page on Facebook to see all of the exciting things the Career Coaches are doing.

For more information about our Career Coach Program, please contact Larry Boggs lboggs@trpdd.com or Dave Kitchens dkitchens@trpdd.com.

Mississippi Partnership Local Area WIOA Plan

Please click here to download the Mississippi Partnership Local Area WIOA Plan.

PY 2025 Youth Services and Programs Documentation

Please click here to download the PY 2025 Gateway Youth Operations Manual as a zip file.

PY 2025 Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs Documentation

Please click here to download the PY 2025 Adult and Dislocated Worker documentation as a zip file.