[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish Government, Nunez College and GNO, Inc., Announce Workforce Development Program

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish Government, Nunez College and GNO, Inc., Announce
Workforce Development Program

Program Will Train Citizens and Expand Capacity of Key Programs

 

St. Bernard Parish Government has partnered with Nunez Community College
(Nunez) and Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.) in announcing expanded
training opportunities in its Process Technology and Industrial Maintenance
programs.  St. Bernard Parish dedicated $500,000 in Community Development
Block Grant (CDBG) funding to fully fund the training of 82 St. Bernard
Parish residents in these programs.  Forty-one students will be trained in
Nunez's Industrial Maintenance Programs and 41 students will be trained in
the Industrial Technology (P-Tech) Program, a two year Associate's Degree
program.  Allocation of funds in this manner represents the first time that
a governmental entity has allocated its obligated CDBG Katrina/Rita Disaster
Recovery Funds to a local college to pay for student tuitions and other
costs. 

 

"Availability of trained workforce one of the biggest issues that could gate
the growth and progress of our region," said Michael Hecht, President and
CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. "The training of St. Bernard residents and
the expansion of Industrial Maintenance and Process Technology Programs at
Nunez will help to close that gap. We look forward to continuing to work
with Nunez Community College and other higher education institutions across
the region to ensure that workforce needs are met."

"This project provides Nunez, St. Bernard Parish, and GNO Inc., with an
opportunity to showcase the incredible workforce training opportunities we
have here, as well as impart the level of skill our citizens need for
high-wage, high-demand positions in industry," said Dr. Thomas R. Warner,
Chancellor of Nunez Community College.

 

"St. Bernard Parish Government is looking forward to its partnership with
Nunez Community College on the Workforce Development Project," said St.
Bernard Parish President David Peralta. "This is the first time that a
government entity has allocated its obligated CDBG Katrina/Rita Disaster
Recovery Funds to a local community college for student tuitions, salaries,
equipment, and other costs. I would like to thank Nunez Chancellor Dr.
Thomas Warner, GNO Inc. President Michael Hecht, Jerry Graves Jr., and
Andrew Becker for contributing to the development of this innovative
project."

 

"We are thrilled to have assisted St. Bernard Parish and Nunez in the
conceptualization and creation of this partnership and program," said Jana
Sikdar, Educational Liaison of Greater New Orleans, Inc. "This Workforce
Development Program stands to change the lives of 82 deserving and dedicated
St. Bernard residents. We applaud St. Bernard and Nunez for making this
pathway to training and opportunity available to the St. Bernard community."

 

GNO, Inc. worked with St. Bernard Parish and Nunez to identify fields of
growth and potential in the St. Bernard Parish area. Recent Louisiana
Workforce Commission Data indicates a need for more than 65,000 jobs in
Greater New Orleans for skilled craft labor by 2016. To meet this demand,
St. Bernard Parish, Nunez, and GNO Inc. recognized that training skilled
workers and expanding Nunez's current PTEC and Industrial Maintenance
Programs are critical steps to satisfying the needs of industry throughout
the region.

 

"I'm excited and proud to be a part of the St. Bernard Parish/Nunez
Workforce Development Project that will enhance two excellent programs at
Nunez Community College and ultimately change the lives of many St. Bernard
Parish residents" said Andrew Becker, Assistant Recovery Manager, St.
Bernard Parish.

 

Implementation of this program will officially begin in Fall 2014. 

 

The grant will also fund marketing and outreach, which will include visits
to Chalmette High School to educate students on this opportunity. The
implementation of this program will officially begin in Fall 2014. The
average salary for an Industrial Maintenance job is $47,000, while the
average salary for an Industrial Technology job is over $60,000. Completion
rate and placement in workforce is 80% for these two programs.  51.2 % of
all students enrolled will be from families of low to moderate income within
St. Bernard Parish. Total costs for training of students, including tuition
and fees for 82 students, will be provided by this grant.