[StBernard] Governor Blanco, LRA and Workforce Officials Viisit Calcasieu on Rita Anniversary

[Westley Annis]

Governor Blanco, LRA and Workforce Officials Highlight Workforce Issues in Rita Anniversary Visit to Calcasieu

Event Kicks Off Program to Prepare Workers for Oil and Gas Jobs


WESTLAKE, La. (September 24, 2007) - Recruiting and training highly-skilled workers to fill vacant jobs in key sectors such as oil and gas and construction is central to the recovery of Southwest Louisiana, Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco said today. She marked the second anniversary of Hurricane Rita by joining Louisiana Recovery Authority and Louisiana Workforce Commission members to launch a new program to help fill jobs in Louisiana's oil and gas industry. 

The program, Louisiana Oil and Gas Industry Collaborative (LOGIC) Workforce Training Project, is funded through the $38 million Recovery Workforce Training Program (RWTP) which was designed by the LRA in conjunction with the Office of Community Development to address shortages in key recovery sectors: oil and gas, healthcare, construction, advanced manufacturing, cultural economy and transportation. The RWTP, administered by the Workforce Commission, is scheduled to train 7,000 workers over the next three years. More than $9 million is dedicated to addressing workforce needs in the parishes affected by Hurricane Rita. 

"This is the wisest type of investment, because we're investing in people. In this instance, we're preparing workers for the oil and gas industry, which is particularly important in Southwest Louisiana, considering the high concentration of petrochemical and natural gas facilities here," Blanco said at an event at Sasol North Ame! rica's Lake Charles Chemical Complex in Westlake. 

She discussed workforce issues before touring the facility to see firsthand the kinds of jobs workers will be prepared to fill through the LOGIC project, among them technologists and engineers, welders, technicians, machinists, land exploration and research.

LOGIC is funded through a $1.5 million RWTP grant to the Acadiana Regional Development District and Alliance partners (Cathy Denison, Ph.D. and Associates Professional Services, Inc., ICF International, Educational Treatment Council, and IMCAL). The three-year program aims to train 344 workers and place them in the Oil and Gas industry in Southwest and South Central Louisiana.

Data from the Workforce Commission and the LRA reveals that over the next three years there will be a demand for nearly 33,000 positions in the six industry sectors covered by the RWTP. Some 5,600 positions will be in regions impacted by Hurricane Rita, and 10 percent of these are expected in the oil and gas sector.

"We can't allow our recovery in the Southwest to be stalled by the lack of skilled laborers. Businesses from oil and gas to health care are crying out for highly-skilled workers, and I'm glad we were able to answer that need by putting our limited recovery dollars toward developing their workforce," LRA Board Member David Richard of Cameron Parish said. 

The Recovery Workforce Training Program is part of a broader economic recovery program developed by the LRA and implemented by its state agency partners, in this case the Louisiana Workforce Commission. 

Commission Chairman Jack Siekkinen applauded all of the parties at the state and local level for bringing the RWTP to fruition at a rapid pace. Some programs started in May. Already, there are 900 people engaged in training, and about 100 of these have already been hired. 

"Considering the level of need, we knew we had to find contractors who could get up and running quickly, both to fill critical vacancies and to retrain workers who had lost their jobs because of the storm," he said. "We asked for a lot, but our training partners have delivered." 

LRA Board member Tom Henning of Calcasieu said he is pleased to hear that so many of the trainees have already been placed in jobs.

"That speaks well for the quality of the programs. This workforce crisis is a very real issue for the state. It is also a national issue and, with programs like this, Louisiana has a chance to be a model of innovation," he said.

LOGIC coordinator Stan McGee of Acadiana Regional Development District discussed the manner in which the program is serving industry needs.

"The LOGIC program is allowing us to connect the dots in workforce training to make sure that we are providing on-demand training to best meet the needs of the area's oil and gas employers," he said.

LOGIC Partner, Cathy Denison, Ph.D. introduced two of the LOGIC program participants, a 23-year-old trainee in the machinist program at SOWELA and a 24-year-old single mother of three seeking to further her skills so she can qualify as an industry safety technician. 

"Our LOGIC Project partners and staff lived through the 2005 hurricanes, thus it is our passion to see that the LOGIC Project is successful for the workers, employers, and our recovering communities," she said. "We are doing extensive outreach for the Hurricane Rita impacted areas of the state and are excited about the eagerness of our LOGIC training participants to become highly skilled workers in the oil and gas industry."

For more information about the LOGIC Project, call 337-479-1082 or visit the LOGIC Workforce Training Program Center at 3501 5th Avenue, Suite B, Lake Charles, LA, 70607.

For more information about the Recovery Workforce Training Programs or to find a program near you, contact the Louisiana Workforce Commission at 225-342-2462.

The LRA prepared a document containing updated statistics about the recovery from Hurricane Rita. To view the document, click here. http://lra.louisiana.gov/assets/twoyear/RitaReportUpdate_FINAL.pdf <http://keelson.eatel.net/websites/la.gov/action.cfm?md=communication&task=addClick&msg_ID=4423&ID=d%3Dj%40k%20mCl%20mt&redirect=http://lra.louisiana.gov/assets/twoyear/RitaReportUpdate_FINAL.pdf>  


About Sasol North America's Lake Charles Chemical Complex:
Sasol North America Inc. is a leading manufacturer of biodegradable ingredients for soaps, detergents and personal care products worldwide. The company is also recognized as a quality producer of high-purity aluminas, an inert material used as a catalyst, thickening agent, absorbent, and mild abrasive in a variety of everyday products. With approximately 350 local employees, the Calcasieu Parish facility is one of the top 10 indus! trial complexes in Southwest Louisiana. 

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana, claiming 1,464 lives, destroying more than 200,000 homes and 18,000 businesses. The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) is the planning and coordinating body that was created in the aftermath of these storms by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to lead one of the most extensive rebuilding efforts in the world. The LRA is a 33-member body which is coordinating across jurisdictions, supporting community recovery and resurgence, ensuring integrity and effectiveness, and planning for the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana. 

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