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The Economic Division is proud to introduce P3: the CDF's formula for Economic Development Success:
- Partnering With Business, Industry & Education
- Preparing For the New Economy
- Providing an Improved, Skilled Workforce
 This initiative will unite business, industry and education to create a workforce prepared for the future. The CDF will meet this new challenge by:
- Conducting comprehensive training and education needs surveys every two years.
- Assisting with development of needed training programs.
- Assisting local industry with enrollment of participants.
- Developing programs to recruit and retrain skilled workers.
P3 will change or expand as business and industry training and education needs dictate. The following projects are already underway or completed:
- Completed two comprehensive skill needs surveys for the area.
- Created an active Workforce Advisory Committee with members representing business, industry, education and government.
- Organized and scheduled Lean Manufacturing workshops for area industry. More than 1,600 local employees have participated in more than eighty workshops to date. Also initiated a Lean/Sigma organization for interested plants to participate.
- Worked with the Itawamba Community College (ICC) to develop Leadership Training (soft skill) Series for area business and industry. Six training series have been held to date with a secenth planned to begin in January 2005.
- Supporting School to Career and Tech Prep efforts to expand student job shadowing and teacher internship programs.
- Corroborated with Itawamba Community College to design Microsoft Training Workshops. More than 900 employees have participated in forty-seven different workshops to date.
- Other workshops that have been held recently have addressed violence in the workplace, time management, ethics in business, computer aided design and OSHA compliance.
In our fifty-sixth year, the Community Development Foundation continues to serve as an economic catalyst for the Tupelo/Lee County area. Workforce Development will be an integral part of future activities working with area business and industry, k-12 schools, community colleges and universities.
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