Platform owner sued over ’12 blast
November 6, 2013When do I need umbrella insurance
November 6, 2013
Trista LeBouef has always wanted to work in the medical field. Upon her graduation from high school, she’ll be qualified to do just that.
LeBouef, a junior at Terrebonne Career and Technical High School, is enrolled in a certified nursing assistant course. Each day she breaks from traditional high school, bussing to the east Houma campus for three hours of hands-on instruction.
“Once we’re finished, I’ll be certified,” she said. “I’ll be able to work in a nursing home or a hospital. So far it’s real fun, not just because I’m able to do something that I want, I’m able to meet people who also want to do it. You make friends.”
The 50-acre TCTHS campus – formerly Terrebonne Vo-Tech – was abuzz with activity last week as roughly 1,200 Terrebonne public high school sophomores were brought for tours over two days. They met with school instructors and spokespeople from some of the top employers in the region, while also having the chance to acquaint themselves with welding equipment, diesel engines, power tools, nursing assistants, kitchen tools and makeup.
The school offers college credits via two-year programs open to juniors and seniors in the Terrebonne Parish School District. About 600 students are enrolled this year, according to officials.
“We want these young people to see that there’s something for everybody, and we want them to connect with something that they see might be a pathway for them in the future,” said Charles Positerry, instructor of the electrical program.
The Houma-based South Central Industrial Association’s Work It! Louisiana program, which focuses on workforce development, sponsored the career day. It has been held for four consecutive years.
The Lafourche-Terrebonne region is anticipated to add 5,200 jobs by 2015, according to leading state economists with Louisiana State University. Executives at Bollinger Shipyard, Gulf Island Fabricators and other major construction centers related to oil-and-gas development have said they’re prepared to add more jobs than the region’s workforce can satisfy, a gap attributable to a lack of skilled labor.
Roughly 30 businesses participated at the TCTHS event. Some focused their pitches on evolving technology, such as tablets replacing analog gauges on diesel machinery. Others talked about rising pay rates meant to attract more interest from those who consider so-called blue-collar work.
Ron Gros, a recruiter for Edison Chouest Offshore, said when examining potential employees, he looks for people who have a well-rounded skill set borne from doing more than the minimum while in high school.
“We’re always looking for (instructors) who have really good students, who are learning a vocation in high school, that they could eventually come over to Chouest. – we need 53 electricians, right now, today,” Gros said.
“My message? Get a vocation. Don’t just sit in school. Actually do something, learn, because there are valuable opportunities out there.”
High-school sophomores listen to a presentation by the service manager of A-A-R Electronics in Houma at TCTHS’ career day.
