NEW ORLEANS – Business Facilities magazine has named FastStart, the workforce training program of Louisiana Economic Development, the best in the nation for an unprecedented seventh year in a row.
"Louisiana Economic Development’s innovative FastStart program remains the gold standard for workforce training initiatives,” said Editor-in-Chief Jack Rogers. “It’s getting harder to rank the leaders in workforce training because so many states have finally gotten the message that workforce development is Job One in the U.S.
“Louisiana’s FastStart is the best, and the best thing about it is that it keeps getting better.”
Business Facilities magazine reports the Top Ten states for workforce training are:
1 – Louisiana
2 – Georgia
3 – Alabama
4 – Tennessee
5 – New Mexico
6 – Florida
7 – Virginia
8 – North Carolina
9 – Oklahoma
10 – Texas
Business Facilities’ 12th Annual Ranking report is a comprehensive analysis of the states, metros and global locations that are leading the pack in the most important benchmarks for sustainable growth in the 21st century.
About Louisiana, the magazine reports, “We’ve been saying this for so many years it sounds like a broken record, but Louisiana’s FastStart program still is the gold standard for workforce training. Georgia, which has established six Centers of Innovation, moves into second place, edging out Alabama, home to world-class robotics, automotive and aerospace training facilities. Virginia, North Carolina (with its NCWorks initiative and Community College Customized Training Program) and Oklahoma (which has made a commitment to become the “STEM State”) join the top 10 in seventh, eighth and ninth place, respectively.
“Louisiana’s FastStart program isn’t resting on its laurels. FastStarts’ C4 certification programs continue to expand and innovate. Up to 50 Louisiana high schools will offer Certification for Manufacturing (C4M) for the first time in the 2016-2017 school year. This year, the C4 Workforce Certification Program was expanded to include Certification for Industrial Maintenance (C4IM). This new Certification was developed in direct response to needs discovered through a partnership with Louisiana companies.
“A new Operator Apprenticeship model is now offering an Associate’s Degree at Louisiana Community and Technical Colleges. These partnerships combine relevant curriculum in classroom settings with an apprenticeship at participating Louisiana companies.
“Acadiana Opportunity, a collaborative effort among LED and five state and regional partners, helps dislocated workers connect with training opportunities to advance careers. More than 1,000 people have signed up and received funding for training classes, resume workshops and other employment assistance. Letters of intent to hire people are being sent by Louisiana companies to those who complete corresponding classes.
“Louisiana’s Certified Workforce Developers (CWD) Program is designed as a collaborative venture between LCTCS (Louisiana’s Community and Technical College System) and LED and is delivered through LED FastStart. Participants include Workforce Development professionals from the technical and community colleges and local economic development organization team members. The program synchronizes training development and delivery to the LED FastStart standard, creating a common and unified experience for all companies in Louisiana. It allows companies to continue receiving training from local technical and community colleges after state incentives sunset, and fosters a networking environment to share resources and ideas across Louisiana campuses to support workforce development.”
