Ladies: College scholarship applications being accepted

The Women’s Business Alliance is now accepting applications for its 2022 Academic Scholarship Program.

The program, which will award two $1,000 scholarships in 2022, is available to two types of female students pursuing higher education: the 2022 graduating high-school senior and the non-traditional student.

• The nontraditional student is one age 25 or older who has returned to a Louisiana college to pursue a degree. Nontraditional applicants must be residents of Terrebonne and/or Lafourche Parishes. Nontraditional applicants must be undergraduate students who have completed one semester of college and have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.

• Graduating seniors must be residents of Terrebonne and/or Lafourche Parishes and have a cumulative grade-point average of at least a 3.0 and be entering a Louisiana college during the 2022 year.

The scholarship program embodies the Women’s Business Alliance mission of improving the quality of life for women by empowering them in professional endeavors and personal relationships. The scholarship, awarded annually, aims to assist future women business leaders in pursuing their educational goals.

The application form and guidelines can be downloaded from www.tpeda.org/news. Submission deadline for applicants is May 6, 2022.

SKILLSUSA LOUISIANA STATE SKILLSUSA CHAMPIONSHIPS HOLD ANNUAL SKILLS AND LEADERSHIP CONTESTS

SkillsUSA Louisiana State High School division is holding their annual State skills and leadership contest at Terrebonne Career and Technical High School 3501 Patriot Drive Houma, Louisiana 70363 on April 1-3, 2020 in conjunction with National Career and Technical Education Month. Larry Rabalais State SkillsUSA Director and staff in conjunction with the Terrebonne Parish School officials and chairpersons at Terrebonne Career and Technical High School is hosting the contest. This event is the once a year capstone event in Technical Education here in Louisiana. SkillsUSA is a national organization serving high school and college students and professional members enrolled in training programs in technical, skilled, and service occupations, including health occupations in high schools and college/technical schools. There are many contest to be held in all related fields of Technical and Career areas that are so important to the economy of Louisiana. SkillsUSA Louisiana has more than 1,200 members from across the State. Each State holds its own contest. Louisiana will be hosting 54 contest of skills and leadership contest. High Schools and Career and Technical centers from around Louisiana will be participating. SkillsUSA has more than 344,000 members annually, organized into 13,000 chapters and 54 state and territorial associations (including the State of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands. SkillsUSA prepares America’s high performance workers. It provides quality education experiences for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development. It builds and reinforces self-confidence, work attitudes and communications skills. SkillsUSA is the answer to the Skills GAP in the American Skilled Workforce. It emphasizes total quality at work, high ethical standards, superior work skills, life-long education and pride in the dignity of work. SkillsUSA also promotes understanding of the free enterprise system and involvement in community service activities. For more information: www.skillsusa.org.

New IT apprenticeship program coming to Nicholls

Nicholls State University will host a meeting for all sectors of employers to provide information on Apprenti Louisiana, the first registered technology apprenticeship program in Louisiana, in the Donald G. Bollinger Student Union at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, December 3.

The program, launched by NexusLA, is based on the successful experience of the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) in Seattle and throughout 11 other states.

“This program works with tech employers to identify mid-tier jobs ready to be filled by highly competent people regardless of educational background and work experience. Apprenti Louisiana will actively recruit women, minorities and veterans to aid in diversifying the tech industry, but everyone is eligible and encouraged to apply,” reads apprenticareers.org. “Candidates selected for the program will be hired as an apprentice by a tech employer, receiving intensive classroom training and paid on-the-job training for a highly-skilled role in the tech industry.”

Because of their success in the Capital Region, NexusLA was selected to partner in the university's expansion into short term/workforce training in IT, according to information released by Nicholls.

Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) and Terrebonne Economic Development Authority (TEDA) are also partners of the program.

“IT is becoming ubiquitous; essentially every employer, at some point, either directly employs or outsources IT professionals,” TEDA CEO Matt Rookard said. “So a lot of times when people think about IT, they're only thinking about coding and development. The reality is that between cybersecurity and even IT troubleshooting, networking — all those sorts of skills are in incredible demand in the workforce.”

NexusLA’s first cohort of 10 apprentices were trained as cybersecurity analysts. The participating employers included Blue Cross Blue Shield, General Informatics, EATEL, Trace Security and Transformyx.

The Bayou Region IT Support Professional cohort of apprentices are scheduled to begin training in June 2020 at Nicholls.

Rookard said the program being short term and having business partners should help get more local IT professionals into the workforce and meet the demands of the growing profession.

“Anytime we can identify a skills gap in the community and match the training programs, then those folks should have opportunities in the workforce,” Rookard said. “We want our local population to have the jobs that are being created here.”

Businesses can register for the public meeting on Tuesday here.

“The meeting is to explain and roll out the program so that [businesses] understand what the training courses will look like and what the expectations are for the companies that we partner with. We're trying to go relatively broad because this could be banks, oil and gas companies, accounting firms or other types of businesses that need these services,” Rookard said. “We have a great training partner in Nicholls, but then we also have the framework set up by Apprenti that allows us to expand to the specific roles that are needed.”

New Environmental Event Seeks Cultural Vendors

Fletcher to build new career center

Fletcher Technical Community College is taking steps to build a $5 million career center building on its main campus in Schriever with the help of a local organization.

The South Central Industrial Association announced last month it was donating $60,000 to the school to build the ACT 360 Career Center.

“The SCIA donation was the last piece of the puzzle in raising the 12 percent of the matching funds to proceed with certifying the match for bond sales at the state level,” Fletcher Chancellor Kristine Strickland said.

The $5.1 million complex will be paid for through bond sales and a $600,0000 match.

“The Career Center will provide career assessment, whether you are age 18 or 55. It will be a site for industry interviews and job placement. It will also house many community agencies, including workforce commission, to learn about training opportunities and job opportunities,” Strickland said.

Depending on the date of a bond sale, Strickland said, she hopes construction on the center will begin in the near future.

SCIA’s donation is part of the organization’s mission to provide resources for local industry, including a focus on education of the workforce and job training, the organization said.

“This falls very much in line with our mission of proactively developing solutions focused on improving the business climate and quality of life in our region,” said Chett Chiasson, SCIA executive vice president and Lafourche Port Commission executive director.

SCIA also made other donations last year, including those to the Morganza Action Coalition, the La. 1 Coalition, Restore or Retreat and Nicholls State University.

Staff Writer Julia Arenstam can be reached at 448-7636 or julia.arenstam@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliaArenstam.

Jump Start provides job-ready workers

Employers in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes can easily find new employees educated through local schools as part of the state’s Jump Start career pathway program.

“Say you’re a retailer looking to increase your staff for the holiday shopping season. Wouldn’t it be nice to hire a young person for evening shifts who has some training in customer service?” the Terrebonne Economic Development Authority said in a news release.

Terrebonne Parish public school students earned more than 3,000 certifications by their 2018 graduation, TEDA said.

Jump Start is Louisiana’s career and technical education program that aims to begin career training while students are still in high school, allowing them to earn industry-based certifications and a career diploma.

High school student are earning certifications in the areas of automotive, health care, food service, web design, emergency medical services, construction, carpentry, electrical, welding, transportation, agriculture, business and more.

“These Jump Start career diplomas give students a level of knowledge in these areas, offering companies new options when hiring entry-level staff and providing students skills sets upon which they can build through their career or further education,” TEDA said.

In 2018, TEDA said, about 42 percent of Terrebonne graduates, or 480 students, received 3,361 certifications. Next May, the system anticipates graduating about another 450 with certifications.

TEDA is organizing a spring job fair to help the pending graduates. Call 873-6890 for information about Jump Start graduates or if your company is interested in participating in the job fair.

Employers: Look for certifications when hiring entry-level staff

Terrebonne Parish Public School Students earned more than 3,000 certifications by their 2018 graduation.

HOUMA, October 17, 2018 – It’s an HR manager’s dream: Finding a low-cost way of assessing an applicant’s skill sets and training.

Luckily, employers have a new tool they can use when hiring entry-level employees, being brought to the hiring community via the Jump Start career pathway program.

Jump Start is Louisiana’s career and technical education program which aims to begin career training while students are still in high school, allowing them to earn industry-based certifications and culminating their high-school career with a Career Diploma. The program sets the students up to enter the workforce and/or continue their education with a head start on skill sets needed by employers.

Say you’re a retailer looking to increase your staff for the holiday shopping season: wouldn’t it be nice to hire a young person for evening shifts who has some training in customer service? The Jump Start program offers a Customer Service and Sales certification – and students across Terrebonne Parish are testing for the certification this fall.

But Customer Service and Sales is only one of the certifications available to students. Terrebonne Parish School students can earn several of the following in their junior and senior years:

• Adobe Certified Associate Photoshop

• ASE Automotive certifications (auto body/collision and repair technology/technician, drive train and axels, electrical/electronics, engine performance and repair, heating/air conditioning, maintenance/light repair, steering/suspension, and transmission/transaxel)

• ASE Welding Level 1

• Certified Nursing Assistant

• Certified Restaurant Server

• CIW Web Design Specialist, Network Technology Associate, Internet Business Associate

• Emergency Medical Responder

• FEMA National Incident Management System

• First Aid/CPR/AED

• Food and Beverage Executive

• Louisiana Micro-Enterprise

• Microsoft Office Specialist

• Microsoft Office Specialist Master

• MOUS Office Specialist 2010

• NCCER Core

• NCCER Carpentry Level 1 and 2

• NCCER Electrical Level 1 and 2

• NCCER Welding Level 2

• OSHA 10 General Industry

• Pro Start S/P2 Safety and Pollution Prevention

• ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certificate

• T2 Production Safety Systems

• WorkKeys (skills evaluation in applied math, graphic literacy and workplace documents

These Jump Start career diplomas give students a level of knowledge in these areas, offering companies new options when hiring entry-level staff and providing students skills sets upon which they can build through their career or further education.

College-bound students are also earning certifications in the business and production safety applications, all extremely useful as they further their education.

In fact, in its first graduating year of the various Jump Start curriculum, Terrebonne Parish School District graduates approximately 42% of its student population with a total of 3,361 certifications in 2018; that’s 480 graduates with industry-based certifications in hand. In May 2019, the system anticipates graduating approximately another 450 with certifications.

Discussion has started about conducting a job fair in Spring 2019 to help these pending graduates connect with potential employers. If your company would be interested in participating in such a job fair, please contact TEDA at 985-873-6890.

Students training for entry-level jobs

Terrebonne Economic Development Authority is touting a local school district program that aims to provide high school students with problem-solving skills and the ability to be trained to fill entry-level jobs.

The ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate test is given to Terrebonne students on Jump Start Career Pathway tracks, some upper level English students and students who scores a 21 or less on the ACT college entrance test.

TEDA says students can earn certifications that verify proficiency in problem solving; critical thinking; reading and using work-related text; applying information from workplace documents and mathematical reasoning to solve problems; locating, synthesizing and applying information presented graphically; and comparing, summarizing and analyzing information presented in multiple graphics.

“Why is this valuable to businesses? These areas indicate students’ strength in using mathematical reasoning and problem-solving techniques to solve work-related problems,” TEDA said.

Among the skills student are taught are solving problems using mathematical skills, identifying a trend and figuring out a goal to a new situation, TEDA said.

Students with WorkKeys certificates can help employers better align their new hires’ skills with those needed for a job, TEDA said. That also translates into “shorter training times with greater knowledge retention, reduced turnover, increased performance ratings for skilled workers, improved employee morale and decreased operator error.”

Students with certification are being advised to note this on their resumes and job applications. They can be verified at http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/workkeys-for-educators/ncrc.html.

For information, call Katherine Gilbert-Theriot at TEDA at 873-6890.

Donated barge being used for worker training

Open enrollment is underway at South Louisiana Community College for a training program of the next generation of maritime industry workers.

Houma-based Cenac Marine donated a refurbished oil and gas tank barge last November to South Louisiana Community College for training students.

Cenac representatives met with Capt. Carl Moore, assistant dean of marine operations at South Louisiana Community College, and discovered the need for updated equipment, owner Benny Cenac Jr. said in a news release.

“From the very start of this project, I have been excited about what we can offer to the community and to those interested in becoming tankermen,” Cenac said. “My company and I are fortunate to have the opportunity to provide a hands-on learning experience to many people for years to come.”

The 158-foot-by-40-foot training vessel replicates a standard Cenac Marine Services tank barge and will be used for the training. The barge will be located at Munson Slip in Houma where South Louisiana Community College tankerman training will take place.

“The barge donated by Mr. Cenac and Cenac Marine services has been a game changer,” Moore said. “We’re excited to be able to offer hands-on, real-life experience while under the supervision of an instructor. This will help everyone in a way we just haven’t been able to in the past.”

Depending on the size of the class, hands-on barge training can last about eight hours per session. The college will offer the class every two weeks depending on instructor availability.

The program currently has two Cenac boat captains serving as instructors during their off-time, the company said. Both captains have been state certified to teach the 32-hour course.

After completion of the course, students are required to complete basic firefighting training before they can become certified tankermen.

The economic benefits of having this training tool are also vital, said Matt Rookard, CEO of the Terrebonne Economic Development Authority. Having these training partnerships and equipment in place will help in attracting more companies to the area, he said.

“The No. 1 thing that comes up in meetings with companies that want to move down here is workforce development. Before costs, before tax structure, it’s workforce development. The reason is simple. You can have the lowest costs in the world, but if you can’t get the people to do the job, then it doesn’t matter,” Rookard said.

Those interested in taking the class can register at 331 Dickson Road in Houma, where the barge is housed and the site of the college’s Terrebonne campus. It has 10 other campuses in Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, Livingston, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermilion parishes.

For more information about South Louisiana Community College and its Maritime training offerings, visit solacc.edu.

--Staff Writer Dan Copp can be reached at 857-2202 or at dan.copp@houmatoday.com.

Congratulations to Fletcher Technical Community College for being ranked #2 on the list! Such an asset to the community!

NEW ORLEANS — With back-to-school season upon us and a year of community college nearly three times less expensive than a year at a public four-year college, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2018’s Best & Worst Community Colleges, coupled with its state-by-state ranking of the Best & Worst Community-College Systems.

To determine where students can receive the best education at the cheapest rates, WalletHub compared 715 community colleges across 17 key indicators of cost and quality. The data set ranges from the cost of in-state tuition and fees to student-faculty ratio to graduation rate.

In Louisiana, community colleges ranked as follows:

LADIES: College scholarship applications being accepted

HOUMA – The Women’s Business Alliance is now accepting applications for its 2018 Academic Scholarship Program.

The program is available to two types of female students pursuing higher education: the 2018 graduating high-school senior and the non-traditional student. The nontraditional student is one age 25 or older who has returned to a Louisiana college to pursue a degree. Applicants must be residents of Terrebonne and/or Lafourche Parishes.

Additional criteria for graduating seniors include a cumulative grade-point average of at least a 3.0 and be entering a Louisiana college during the 2017 year. Nontraditional applicants must have completed one semester of college and have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. All applicants should visit www.wbahouma.org for further application requirements.

The scholarship program embodies the Women’s Business Alliance mission of improving the quality of life for women by empowering them in professional endeavors and personal relationships. The scholarship, awarded annually, aims to assist future women business leaders in pursuing their educational goals.

The application form and guidelines can be downloaded from www.wbahouma.org. Submission deadline for applicants is April 15, 2018.

Contact:

Crystal Gienger

Scholarship Chair, Women’s Business Alliance

(985) 448-7937

Terrebonne Economic Development Authority announces training opportunity

DEC. 11, 2017, HOUMA -- Proprietors of construction companies and entrepreneurs who wish to become licensed general contractors may be eligible for tuition assistance to the Louisiana Contractors Accreditation Institute (LCAI) through Terrebonne Economic Development Authority.

LCAI, a Fletcher Technical Community College-branded program, is broadcast at community colleges throughout the state of Louisiana over a six-week period. The class offers critical information about construction management and preparing for the business law portions of the state licensing exam.  LCAI is a partnership between Louisiana Economic Development and the Louisiana Community & Technical College System and the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors.

Limited tuition assistance is available to those companies/individuals who potentially qualify as disadvantaged business enterprises. In addition, TEDA will offer technical assistance to aid LCAI graduates with such tasks as strategic business planning, completing contractor’s qualification statements and profiles, registration with Central Contractor Registration, certification as a disadvantaged business enterprise and registration with various public agencies issuing project contracts. 

“This program is aimed at increasing the number of qualified contractors in Terrebonne Parish and increasing disadvantaged businesses’ access to large-scale, publicly funded projects,” said Matt Rookard, TEDA Chief Executive Officer.

Program applicants should email TEDA at dhenry@tpeda.org or call 873-6890 to request an application packet. 

The program is funded in part through Louisiana Economic Development, Tier 2 Marketing Grant Program.

For more information:
Matthew Rookard,
TEDA CEO
985-873-6890

Register by completing the two forms below and returning them to:

Terrebonne Economic Development, P.O. Box 3209, Houma, LA 70361 or by email at DHenry@tpeda.org.

Louisiana Contractors Accreditation Institute

The Louisiana Contractors Accreditation Institute, a partnership between Louisiana Economic Development, Louisiana Community & Technical College System and the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors offers small and emerging construction businesses critical information about construction management and how to prepare for the Business Law parts of the contractors state licensing exam.  

Registration begins December 4, 2017 with last day to register for class on January 26, 2018.  

Cenac Marine donated a barge to SLCC for Workforce Development Training

CEO of Cenac Marine Services, Benny Cenac, and Company donated a fully refurbished barge to South Louisiana Community College's Workforce Development Training program.  An official christening and rededication took place on November 14th at Cenac Marine Services' headquarters.  The 158 feet by 40 feet fully restored barge was presented to SLCC administration and staff.  The barge is a replica of a standard Cenac Marine Services tank barge and will be used for the school's training of the next generation of maritime industry leaders.  Mr. Cenac is honored to be able to help his community and local education programs.  

TEDA's CEO, Matthew Rookard, spoke at the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce General Membership Luncheon

Terrebonne Economic Development Authority CEO Matthew Rookard outlined his organization’s plans for growing Terrebonne Parish’s economy Tuesday before the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce.

Louisiana Contractors Accreditation Institute - Classes starting Soon

Registration begins June 26, 2017 and last day to register for class will be September 11, 2017.

The Louisiana Contractors Accreditation Institute, a partnership between Louisiana Economic Development, Louisiana Community & Technical College System and the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors offers small and emerging construction Businesses critical information about construction management and how to prepare for the Business Law parts of the contractors state licensing exam.  

Houma ranks #442 in U.S. cities with the lowest average student debt balances

Houma ranked #442 in LendEDU’s newest report detailing the cities throughout the U.S. with the lowest average student debt balances.

The rankings for this report were developed by licensing Experian’s most recent financial data. More than 10,000 cities throughout the U.S. were analyzed for their average student debt balance. And, Houma ranked as having one of the lowest average student debt balances!

The full report and methodology can be found here:

https://lendedu.com/blog/u-s-cities-highest-lowest-student-debt-balances/

 

Fletcher Nursing Program ranks number 8 in the state

Fletcher Technical Community College's Associate of Science in Nursing program was ranked number 8 in the top 10 best RN programs in Louisiana by RegisteredNursing.org.  The ranking was based on the number of students who pass the NCLEX-RN exam.