'Big Ideas' Mobile Learning Lab to help guide careers for area high school sophomores
Big Ideas, a Minnesota-based nonprofit, came to Northeast Mississippi to develop partnerships and work with local school districts before the 2025-2026 school year implementation. On Wednesday, local school district leaders, industry partners and community members had the opportunity to see the Big Ideas Mobile Learning Lab complete with nine modules.
'We need to be finding new ways to reach more students and expose them to high-quality, in-demand career opportunities locally,' said Mike Staten, CEO of BNA Bank and a Toyota Wellspring Education Fund committee member. 'There has historically been a stigma around skilled trades, but the reality is many of these opportunities provide high paying opportunities with career advancement that can lead to lifelong careers.'
Staten was among the people who charged the Toyota Wellspring Education Fund team with finding authentic, hands-on learning experiences for high school students. They found that in Big Ideas, whose mission is "to inform, inspire and connect curious learners" ages 13 to adult with career paths and professionals in skilled trades.
"TVA has always supported workforce development, along with CDF and all of our local partners. This aligns with our mission," said Amy Tate, senior state director, government and community relations for Tennessee Valley Authority. "As we move to attract business and industry to the area, we need a great workforce, and we want to help these students learn about these skill trades, get trained up, do anything we can do to put them in the pipeline and make it easier for us to have a robust workforce."
In October, Big Ideas will visit all the high schools in Pontotoc, Union and Lee counties, then visit the high schools in Chickasaw, Clay, Itawamba and Tippah counties in November. Big Ideas complements the Imagine the Possibilities career expo, and students will be exposed to a variety of skilled trades and career opportunities related to those careers.
David Rumbarger, president and CEO of the Community Development Foundation, said ITP was an enhancement of what ICC, Ole Miss, Mississippi State were doing with career preparation.
"We still need to get into the high schools because, just like me when I was in high school, I didn't think what to do until I was almost out of high school and even into college," he said. "Exposure to career paths, exposure to career opportunities to go through an environment specifically focused on career preparation and training will give this region ahead of many other regions in the country that are just taking the product of education and coming out and trying to educate them on career opportunities. That's too late ... this gives them a vision of what they can do in this region as a career."
Several high school students from the Boys and Girls Club of North Mississippi on Wednesday got a preview of the lab and the modules, similar to how sophomores will get to interact with these modules later this year.
The other module options include the following:
• Augmented Miller Welding (AR)
• CAT Excavation (AR)
• Industrial Coating - Paint (VR/AR)
• Transfr VR (META headsets) (VR)
• Crane (VR)
• Safety (Harnesses) *Hands-on
• Cargo Securement (Rachet Straps)
• Tire Maintenance
'Providing an immersive learning experience for our students is a key priority for Toyota Mississippi as we collaborate with our partners to create innovative workforce readiness opportunities,' said Tiffannie Hedin, corporate communications manager for Toyota Mississippi, who also is a TWEF committee member and CREATE board member. 'We are so proud to support the Big Ideas project to expand access across our region enabling more students to engage and be inspired to choose a career path that's right for them regardless of the sector or path. Preparing our youth for careers post high school is vital to the success of our community and economic development, and this project is perfectly aligned to that goal.'
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