There is a strong population of offshore workers in southernMississippi, and Copiah-Lincoln Community College is finding waysto help them further their education and keep working theirfull-time jobs as they do it.

Dean of Career and Technical Workforce Gail Baldwin said thecollege had been fielding quite a few calls from people in theoffshore industry working seven-, 14-, and even 21-day shifts whowere inquiring about online classes, and they saw an opportunity tohelp both prospective students and the school.

“We’d been getting these calls so we recognized a need forpeople in the industry to go back to school and get an associate’sdegree in the electronics or electrical maintenance areas, as wellas other fields,” she said. “What we wanted to do was come up withsomething where we could meet those needs.”

Co-Lin Public Relations Director Natalie Davis said the hybridelectronics program is in its early phases, but it’s aimed athelping people raise their marketability.

“That helps them try to improve skills to get a better-payingjob. That’s what we’re trying to do,” she said. “It’s somethingthat we’re testing.”

Instructor Carey Williamson said the fact that many companiesrequire at least a two-year degree inspires a lot of workers whowould like to make more money, but their schedules areprohibitive.

“A lot of them came out of high school and got a job and areworking as unskilled labor, and they see these people workingbeside them and making a lot more money, and they obviously want tomove up into those better positions but the companies require atleast a two-year degree,” he said. “After hearing that story enoughwe tried to come up with a way to help them.”

Baldwin said the program is put together from online lectures,and then the students schedule labs with their instructors. Thelabs are done when the workers are back in town.

That’s why the program is referred to as a “hybrid” program.

Williamson said he and fellow instructors Brian Turnage, CharlesStroup and John Hoggatt will hold lab times and students at anystage of the classes can come in and work on their schooling.

“We have lab packages ready to go, if students are in differentcourses, they can still come in and work individually and we’rethere to ask questions,” Williamson said. “It’s work and it’sintensive for the instructor, but we can handle it. We can go backand forth and teach multiple students.”

The program is being used at the Natchez and Wessoncampuses.

That helps, Baldwin said, because it allows some flexibility ingeography for students from all over Co-Lin’s district. They canenroll at the Wesson campus and attend lab at the Natchez campus ifneed be.

Baldwin said the program hasn’t taken off yet due to itsnewness, but that the demand is deep. The issue is just lettingpeople know it’s there.

“We’re very flexible in trying to work with these students, butof course they follow certain guidelines,” she said. “Mostly, we’retrying to get the word out because a lot of people have thisschedule.”

With the economy like it is, a lot of people with full-timejobs, – be they offshore or not – are looking for ways to gain moreeducation in order to be promoted or switch to higher-payingfields. Baldwin said that’s the reason the hybrid program has somuch potential.

“If it ever catches on and particularly if we’re ever able towork with the workforce that already has a job and wants to bepromoted or move to another job, we will possibly add more to thisprogram,” she said. “We understand that you can’t give up afull-time job to come back to school when you have a family. I knowthere are a lot of folks losing their jobs now and a lot of chancesfor people to come back to school the regular way, but if youcan’t, this is a good way to do that.”

Baldwin said anyone with questions about the program can call601-643-8329.