Colleges Tie Training Programs to the Needs of Business
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When Angus Chemical Co. needed skilled operators for its Sterlington plant‚ com pany officials went back to school.
With no training programs available locally for the process technicians needed to monitor and maintain the plant’s internal systems and operations‚ company officials found a way to grow their own – with help from Louisiana Delta Community College.
Delta‚ like other colleges in the area‚ has been a strong force in helping build a pool of skilled workers in the northern Louisiana area.
Enrollment at Louisiana Technical College – Delta Ouachita Campus rose by 28 percent between spring 2006 and spring 2007‚ as more students trained for jobs in fields ranging from the paper industry to health care‚ says Norene Smith‚ Region 8 director. In partnership with Associated Builders and Contractors‚ the college has helped prepare some 400 workers for employment in the construction field‚ Smith says.
A $10 million Incumbent Worker Training Program‚ funded over five years by the Louisiana Department of Labor‚ has enabled LTC – Delta Ouachita and the University of Louisiana at Monroe to upgrade the skills of employed workers‚ improving the performance of area businesses and helping provide new jobs.
Many of the region’s workforce-training initiatives are created in response to the specific needs of industry.
In the Angus Chemical Co. situation‚ company officials and other members of the North Louisiana Business/Industrial Alliance approached Delta Community College with a proposal to create a process-technology training program. It was needed‚ they said‚ to help offset a critical demand in the state’s chemical industry sector for up to 10‚000 process technicians over the next 10 years – and that’s not counting similar needs in the pharmaceutical manufacturing‚ oil and gas‚ and other industries.
With the help of a $250‚000 annual commitment from Angus Chemical‚ the community college launched its PTEC training program in 2006. The program gives students a chance to train with professionals‚ work with equipment exactly like that being used in plants and gain valuable employment expe rience. When the school finishes its accreditation process sometime in 2008‚ students will be able to earn an associate of science degree in process technology.
“The program is a win for local industry‚” says Dr. Luke Robins‚ chancellor of Louisiana Delta Community College. “By hiring people who are well-trained in process technology‚ they will save potentially millions of dollars in their plants every year in terms of decreased down time‚ mistakes and processing errors. And it certainly is great for our students.”
Success in building a skilled workforce lies in a dynamic partnership between industry‚ state and city government and educational institutions‚ he adds.
“Success relies on cooperation and support‚ developing strong relationships with business industry and the commu nity‚” Robins says.
In the future‚ technical training will begin even earlier for students in the Delta region. A National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Grant will allow LTC – Delta Ouachita to train more than 100 secondary and post-secondary faculty members in areas of health services‚ business and industrial technology. These instructors‚ in turn‚ will pass the knowledge on to thousands of college and high school students in the region‚ including those attending Ouachita Parish‚ Monroe City Schools and other parish school systems in Region 8.
Story by Laura Hill
Photo by Antony Boshier
