NATCHEZ — Residents eager to toss their hat back in the workforce ring but who may lack the credentials to throw some punches can soon earn their GED for free.

A free GED course will kick off Jan. 10 at Rose Hill Baptist Church, course organizer Michelle Williams said.

Williams said she is hopeful that the program will help Natchez people fill some of the jobs on the local horizon, with the entrance of industries such as Elevance Renewable Sciences.

The new industries plan to partner with Copiah-Lincoln Community College to set up training programs. But trainees must have a high school degree to be admitted to Co-Lin, Williams said.

“The plan is to get a lot of people to get back to school (after earning a GED), so they can get back to work,” Williams said.

Williams said she worries that a high number of Natchez residents without high school diplomas will force the companies to outsource jobs outside Adams County.

And since Elevance, for instance, will not complete the hiring of nearly 200 employees until at least 2013, folks without a GED have plenty of time to finish the six-week course and get enrolled in programs at Co-Lin, Williams said.

“That’s why it’s important to get the word out now,” she said.

The GED course, which will be taught by retired school teachers, will be offered from 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Those who do not complete the course in six weeks can get an extension.

The GED program, which is about to start its second year, was previously located at the Holiday Apartments and Susie B. West Apartments.

Williams, 50, who earned her GED in 2005 and will soon earn an associate degree from Copiah-Lincoln Community College, is proof that it’s never too late to go back to school, she said.

After surveying residents, Williams said she decided to move the course to Rose Hill Baptist Church, which is more centrally located.

Williams also said she has learned that several people older than 30 and some senior citizens have expressed interest in taking the course and earning an associate degree for a shot at a new job.

Associate degrees from Co-Lin can help qualify people for all types of jobs, including accounting, welding, maintenance and construction, Williams said.

“We need to get these young men (and women) to start looking into going to these companies now,” Williams said.

Upon passing the free GED test, the workforce development staff will help interested students enroll at Co-Lin.

Williams said the course must have an average attendance of 10 students to maintain grant funding, but more students are encouraged to take advantage of the course.

Williams said she has been on the lookout for access to a van in order to shuttle prospective students from Holiday Apartments and Susie B. West Apartments to the church.

Those interested in registering for the course or anyone interested in donating a mode of transportation should call Williams at 601-660-1663.