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In an effort to shed light on the merits of technical education, South Central Industrial Association (SCIA) devised the Work It! Louisiana awareness campaign to address current employment needs in the Bayou Region.
Because of SCIA’s efforts, it was honored as the 2010 Louisiana Outstanding Business Champion for Small Businesses by the BESE Board, Louisiana Department of Education and the Louisiana Community Technical College System.
Jane Arnette, executive director of SCIA, accepted the award at the Lafayette Cajundome during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Super Summer Institute, an annual weeklong series of industry certification, professional development and continuing education sessions.
“It’s a huge honor for the bayou region to be recognized by such a prestigious group,” Arnette said.
“One of our goals is to assure that we continue to serve our region and the workforce.”
The Career and Technical Education Distinguished Service Award was developed to honor small and large businesses that have made significant contributions to the field of technical education, according to an SCIA press release. SCIA was nominated by Fletcher for its Work It! Louisiana campaign.
“Work It! Louisiana is an awareness campaign implemented in six parishes,” she said.
The long-term goal of Work It! Louisiana is to provide information to the student population regarding various job opportunities, salary expectations and education requirements, according to Arnette.
“When kids get to school they don’t know what they want to do,” Arnette said, citing that only 20 percent of students go to a 4-year university. “So this is to tell them what job opportunities are out there and that they don’t necessarily have to go to a 4-year university because technical schools can bring just as good an education.”
Arnette hopes Work It! Louisiana will bring success to the population beyond the classroom.
“We want to bring nobility and dignity back into the workforce so students can feel good about their choices and eventually become productive citizens,” she said.
Jane Arnette (center) poses with the award for the 2010 Louisiana Outstanding Business Champion for Small Businesses. Joining Arnette are (from left) Jimmy Sawtelle, Kathy Doiron, Cal McKey, Nicol Blanchard and Travis Lavigne. COURTESY PHOTO
