Mississippi Reconnect 3.0 FY26
AccelerateMS is accepting applications for Mississippi Reconnect 3.0 FY26, a state-administered workforce initiative supporting accelerated training for unemployed and significantly underemployed Mississippians. Training must generally run 40 to 480 hours, up to 12 weeks, and align to priority occupations or other documented immediate workforce needs.
Priority occupations and workforce fit
The current RFA specifically identifies plumbing, commercial and industrial electrical, water and wastewater operators, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), CNC machinists, manual machinists, tool and die technicians, composite technicians, and commercial construction carpenters and related construction occupations. Applicants must document employer demand and demonstrate how the proposed program will address regional workforce gaps.
Eligible applicants and training providers
Potential applicants are Mississippi local workforce development areas, public community colleges, and institutions of higher learning. Other applicants may be approved at the discretion of the AccelerateMS Executive Director. Private training providers and secondary schools are not independently eligible and should partner with a local workforce development area or another eligible applicant. Potential training providers include public secondary schools, institutions of higher learning, nonprofit organizations, and public community colleges with demonstrated industry-aligned training capacity and employer connections.
Program and application requirements
Each proposed program must include a documented training plan and curriculum. Applications must include employer letters of intent to hire that identify open positions and intent to interview program participants. All participating employers and training opportunities require AccelerateMS approval before training or work activity begins. Applicants must also document any state and federal resources being braided into the project and avoid duplicate costs.
Eligible costs
Eligible expenses include stipends for unemployed participants up to $10 per hour, qualifying per-participant training fees subject to program restrictions, on-the-job-training wage reimbursements up to 50 percent of wages for no more than 8 weeks or 320 hours and capped at $20 per hour, a 3 percent administrative fee, and program-support costs up to 20 percent of direct program cost. Public community colleges are not eligible for per-participant fees. Per-participant training fees may include instructor and consumable educational-supply costs but exclude equipment.
Funding and timing
The current RFA does not state a universal total funding pool or per-award ceiling. Applications are reviewed in the order received and eligible applications may be funded until available funds are exhausted. AccelerateMS may fund applications on a rolling basis. No fixed closing date or time zone is stated in the current RFA.
Submission
Applicants must complete the Reconnect 3.0 application and budget template and submit the proposal by email to the address specified in the current AccelerateMS RFA. Applicants should use the current RFA and AccelerateMS RFP page as the controlling sources before submission.
Atlas assessment
Atlas Opportunity Score: 84/100. This is a strong Mississippi-administered workforce opportunity with meaningful healthcare and EMS relevance because EMT is a named priority occupation and Healthcare is identified as a priority sector. N9+ Fit: 0/100. The current RFA is fundamentally a workforce-training program and expressly excludes equipment from per-participant training fees, so N9+ should not be forced into the opportunity. QC Healthcare Fit: 30/100 conditional. A legitimate role may exist only as an employer or qualified training-provider partner in an EMT or healthcare workforce project if current qualifications and the applicant-led structure support it. Dr. Miltie/QC Healthcare direct-applicant eligibility is not established by the published applicant categories.
Original outreach control: This is a genuine rolling opportunity, so the normal 48-hour fixed-deadline cutoff does not apply. However, no ORIGINAL outreach should be created until a specific eligible applicant, a credible project and employer-demand case, a verified business Contact and email, Email Opt-Out and permanent-bounce status, exact-opportunity CRM and Atlas Email Queue deduplication, and authoritative send history have all been cleared.