RAYMOND – A keen understanding of what heavy industry needs to fill the ever-increasing demand for skilled labor is what David Creel wants to convey as he leads a key training component in Workforce Development at Hinds Community College.
“I have seen the gap between applicant skill and what these companies need,” Creel said. “Hinds is working to close that gap, and I am excited to be part of it.”
Director of Workforce Manufacturing Training David Creel.
Creel, of Byram, began work June 1 as director of Workforce Manufacturing Training. He arrived at Hinds from a nearly 30-year career with Milwaukee Electric Tool, during which the company was a client of Hinds and Creel himself took classes here and at East Central Community College.
His bachelor’s degree is in business administration from Belhaven University. As director of the new program, Creel said, he will work with new and existing industry to develop and deliver training programs to enhance the workforce.
“We work with individuals that need basic and/or advanced skills to improve their situations, whether that is getting a job, keeping their job, getting a promotion or learning a totally new skill,” Creel said.
Creel said his first project this year will be the conversion of the Offset Printing Lab on the Raymond Campus to the Manufacturing Training Center and Mechatronics Lab. Mechatronics is a multidisciplinary field of engineering that includes a combination of mechanical, electrical, telecommunications, control and computer engineering.