[StBernard] 'Cottage Raising' Kicks Off Job Training Partnership in Iberia

[Westley Annis]

'Cottage Raising' Kicks Off Start of Unique Job Training Partnership in Iberia, as Governor Blanco, LRA and Workforce Officials Mark Rita Anniversary

Construction Trainees Use Skills Learned in Classroom to Build Homes for Residents affected by Rita


NEW IBERIA, La. - Future workers in the construction field on Monday raised the wall of a cottage for a Delcambre resident affected by Hurricane Rita, using skills they are learning through Louisiana's Recovery Workforce Training Program (RWTP). Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco joined officials from the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) and the Louisiana Workforce Commission in visiting the construction workforce training program to mark the second anniversary of Hurricane Rita.

The $2.2 million program is run out of Louisiana Technical College Region IV and trains workers from areas affected by Hurricane Rita for jobs in the construction field, including carpenters, welders, industrial mechanics, electricians and AC repairers. It 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 of affected by hurricane Rita. 

"After enduring the third most expensive hurricane in this nation's history, southwest Louisiana now faces its own rebuilding challenges in replacing lost homes and ! damaged infrastructure. It is crucial to our state's future that we have skilled workers ready to meet these challenges head on," Blanco said Monday afternoon at the Teche Area Campus of the Louisiana Technical College in New Iberia, where workforce trainees are constructing a home for a resident of Delcambre, thanks to a donation from the Community Foundation of Acadiana. "In Louisiana we have been blessed with so many examples of non-profit and faith-based groups finding innovative ways to help those affected by this storm and this home is an example of that spirit that is thriving across the state." 

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. The construction program at the Louisiana Technical College will train more than 300 workers over three years.

According to data from the Workforce Commission and the LRA, over the next three years there will be a demand for nearly 33,000 positions in the six industry sectors covered by the RWTP program, and 5,600 of these will be in the Hurricane Rita region. More than a third of the trainees served by the program will be in construction fields.

"With millions and millions of dollars set to be distributed for physical construction projects in Southwest Louisiana, we know skilled workers will drive our recovery forward," said John T. Landry, chair of the LRA's Infrastructure Task Force. "And to see these workers being trained while providing new homes for affected residents is an inspiring way to deal with two of our most critical issues - economic development and housing." 

The Community Foundation of Acadiana donated $225,000 to The Office of Justice and Peace (of the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette) and the Louisiana Technical College - Teche Area Campus to assist individuals and families affected and displaced by Hurricane Rita. 

"Community Foundation of Acadiana recognized a unique opportunity to marry the missions and objectives of these two distinct entities as it relates to hurricane recovery," said Raymond Hebert, Executive Director of Community Foundation of Acadiana. "Collaboration is in everyone's best interest. This is one of the best examples of an opportunity for collaboration that we've seen."

The LTC - Teche Area Campus used the donation to purchase materials to construct homes, commonly marketed as Katrina Cottages, to train students of carpentry, electrical, plumbing and air conditioning. After their construction, the cottages will be provided to individuals or families affected by Hurricane Rita. 

The Office of Justice and Peace continues to assist households, primarily in the parishes of Vermilion, and parts of Iberia and St. Mary, directly affected by Hurricane Rita. Its direct work and assistance with victims of Hurricane Rita give it the expertise in qualifying and assisting affected individuals.

"Many elderly, handicapped or poor persons are homeless and still living with relatives or in FEMA trailers or are living in sub-standard housing," said Una Hargrave, Director of The Office of Justice and Peace. "These people are the silent poor with no place else to turn. This grant gives us a terrific partner in the Louisiana Technical College and will provide a better-than-expected outcome for some needy folks."

The Cottages in this program are separate from the state's $74 million Louisiana Cottages program.

Earlier Monday, Blanco toured Sasol North America's Lake Charles Chemical Complex in Westlake to launch the Louisiana Oil and Gas Industry Collaborative (LOGIC) Workforce Training Project, which will help fill jobs in Louisiana's oil and gas industry. LOGIC is funded through a $1.5 million RWTP grant to the Acadiana Regional Development District and southwest Louisiana Alliance partners (C. Denison, Ph. D and Associates, Inc., ICF International, Educational Treatment Council and IMCAL). The three-year program aims to train 350 workers. It teams with industry partners to connect trainees with jobs.

For more information about the Recovery Workforce Training Programs or to find a program near you, click here. <http://keelson.eatel.net/websites/la.gov/action.cfm?md=communication&task=addClick&msg_ID=4429&ID=d0iEeMi%5FnsnT&redirect=http://lra.louisiana.gov/assets/WorkforceRecoveryFS.pdf> 


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> 


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 r! ebuilding of Louisiana. 

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