[StBernard] Investing in Education and our Workforce

Westley Annis Westley at da-parish.com
Wed Oct 21 07:22:44 EDT 2009


Dear, Friends,

Last week we announced a commitment of $2.7 million to purchase the last
parcels of land for the Fletcher Community College Campus in Houma. As the
Tri-Parish Times
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=ID27iogcLP617kq4A63Ckpo
UKzagtquSjD1U54uljLU%3d&digest=yUSNdc13WgjzScDgxZax3A> reported, the new
Fletcher campus "is part of a state effort to strengthen workforce
development." Seventy percent of the companies wanting to move to or expand
in Louisiana cite finding a skilled workforce as one of their top two
concerns, and that is one reason we are investing more than $245 million to
expand community and technical colleges throughout the entire state.

Through improving our educational system, we can create better opportunities
for our young people right here in Louisiana, and strengthen the quality of
our workforce. As the Baton Rouge Advocate
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=E27j%2bE18WdS57Mp4Sy6Nj
0ZBoiF5GYEiHFicnUxwgSM%3d&digest=iV3FHMgHNwSVRzN36KA9ww> recently reported,
"Lafayette ranks second and Baton Rouge ninth on a new list of the best
mid-size cities in which to launch a business" - proving that our state is a
fertile ground for economic opportunity and continues to outperform the
national economy.

We also welcomed the President to New Orleans last week, and I took that
opportunity to encourage Washington to take some important steps to help our
state. As WWL
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=bIwyCsoWz34Kmh9lwCBb9Nh
lV9Pm0cSgjJdQ3zOuB24%3d&digest=nvpS0E9jUjkL61lDUIrt3w> reported, "coastal
restoration and protection should be priority number one," along with fixing
our federal Medicaid match percentage, which could cost the state $700
million if not fixed, and financing the new Academic Medical Center in New
Orleans.

The First Lady and I also announced this past week that the Louisiana
Governor's Mansion will be lit pink from October 16th-22nd to help raise
breast cancer awareness as part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Our state has the highest rate of mortality related to breast cancer of any
state in the country, and it is critically important that we continue to
invest in research and treatment options that help fight breast cancer.

Early screening and detection can play a critical role in this, and we
should all take this opportunity to remind our mothers, daughters, and
sisters to keep an eye on their health. Supriya also filmed a public service
announcement that will be airing around the state to raise awareness
regarding early detection, and I hope we all take that message to heart.

Last week I traveled to Homer and Colfax to award 301 of Louisiana's
veterans with the Louisiana Veterans Honor Medal, and to Coushatta and Addis
as part of the Louisiana Working Tour. As the Shreveport Times
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=EEC0kSEbovEuukYjyRS37Uk
CNXK9FQMvT77WN%2bxcc%2fI%3d&digest=ocHdTaWQhQEVVJL9XixmtQ> wrote, our honor
medal recipients "were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in defense of
freedom and liberty," and we will continue to thank veterans across our
state in the coming weeks.

Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal





More information about the StBernard mailing list