Partnership was the key word Thursday at an industry appreciation luncheon hosted by Copiah-Lincoln Community College.

And what better illustration of a partnership than to have a community college, which shares its campus with a branch of a university, to host an event to recognize area businesses.

It should remind all of us of the need for educational institutions and businesses to partner for the good of the community.

Co-Lin offers great opportunities to train our local workforce, not only for immediate high school graduates but for those who want to get a new start in life.

Several former International Paper employees took a chance to learn a new trade through classes at Co-Lin, and others have gone on to Alcorn State University as well.

And both schools have partnered with the city and county on economic development projects.

Co-Lin and Alcorn themselves are also a great model for partnership.

Sharing a campus, they have worked together to ensure a smooth transition for students who want to attend Alcorn after going to community college.

At a time when some community colleges and universities were competing over curriculum and other issues, Alcorn and Co-Lin were showing a different picture.

So we applaud Co-Lin for recognizing area industries on Thursday. While we continue to look to attract new businesses, we have to remember to look to those at home for continued growth and opportunities.