The coronavirus pandemic has altered business models—both immediate and long term—for companies and organizations across the country. Dr. Andrea Mayfield, who is the executive director of the Mississippi Community College Board, thinks this evolution of the business provides a wonderful opportunity for people to use community colleges to gain the newly required skillsets employers will now be looking for.
“Business operations have already changed,” Mayfield said. “They’re going to continue to change, and when they change, those required skillsets are going to change. That’s why the community colleges are perfectly positioned to be able to provide that training.”
Skills in technology as well as data literacy are just a couple of the skills that will be highly sought after in a post-coronavirus world.
Mayfield also believes there are going to be more jobs available after the pandemic than there were before, which is just another reason for people to go ahead and attain the necessary skillsets.
“This is the perfect time for people who are seeking a new career,” Mayfield said. “I believe that we are going to see companies reshore. We are going to see companies decide to move back to the United States to operate…With changes like this, that means we are going to have opportunities to grow our businesses, our companies in Mississippi, and with that growth, we’ve got to have the personnel.”
Hopefully, Mayfield is correct about her assessment that more jobs will exist in a post-coronavirus world than in the pre-coronavirus world. Nevertheless, one must be ready to adapt and thrive as change is inevitable, and community colleges offer a perfect opportunity to do so.
Watch the full interview with Mayfield using the video below.
