LACOMBE, LA – Northshore Technical Community College (NTCC) celebrated the grand opening of its flagship STEM campus in Lacombe on Tuesday. At the VIP reception, Dr. William Wainwright, chancellor of NTCC, presented the St. Tammany Economic Development Foundation (STEDF) with an award “in recognition of support and partnership.” The award reinforces a longstanding, strategic partnership between the two organizations in a continued commitment to workforce development, STEDF reps said.
“Today’s celebration represents the culmination of a carefully studied and planned college campus strategically located and intentionally designed to support the fields of maritime training, advanced technologies, biological sciences and information technology,” Dr. Wainwright said. “The commissioning of this campus today, to be followed by a ribbon cutting on March 6, represents a generational investment in education, filling a void for one of the fastest growing parishes and regions of the state.”
“The support of the St. Tammany Economic Development Foundation played a critical role in advancing current partnerships and identifying future opportunities,” Dr. Wainwright said.
Development Director Ashley Cangelosi Llewellyn of STEDF continually collaborates with the leadership of NTCC on workforce development initiatives and coalitions.
“We know proactive STEM education programs position our parish for growth by preparing our workforce for success,” Llewellyn said. “By cultivating these regional, cross-sector partnerships among higher education, economic development and industry leaders, we identify the shared needs of each sector and stakeholder. These shared goals, addressed by collaborative initiatives, produce shared results and shared success for everyone in our parish and our region.”
Over the last three years, NTCC participated in the STEDF Workforce Development Series, a regularly-gathering think-tank that aligns business leaders, community representatives and higher education partners in pursuit of proactive solutions to workforce trends and challenges. In response to reported trends and in furtherance of the partnership, STEDF participated in NTCC’s Maritime Consortium, which served as the voice of business and industry in the creation of a new curriculum for maritime study.
In December 2016, STEDF presented a video in partnership with NTCC on the value and vision for workforce development and post-secondary education in St. Tammany Parish.
The newly-opened NTCC campus specializes in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. Increasingly, these “STEM” fields drive economic growth. As indicated in the 2005-2015 “St. Tammany Ten Year Economic Summary,” parish-wide wages in professional, scientific and technical fields rose 114 percent in 10 years—from almost $138 million in 2005 to over $295 million in 2015.
These high-wage positions attract a robust workforce, and business development relies on the strength of that workforce, STEDF reps said. Site selectors and business leaders prefer to locate and grow in areas with highly-skilled, highly-trained workers.
With the new campus centrally located in Lacombe, St. Tammany anticipates a rise in residents with post-secondary degrees. As noted by Dr. Wainwright, NTCC’s enrollment has increased by 20 percent.
Brenda Bertus, CEO of STEDF, said, “We have long been committed to workforce and talent development—throughout the state. This exceptional focus on post-secondary education will equip our parish to attract new jobs for the current and future participants in our workforce.”
STEDF leads economic development in St. Tammany Parish, attracting new businesses and employment opportunities to the area. The organization seeks to improve parish residents’ quality of life by strengthening and supporting the business climate.
Northshore Technical Community College’s Strategic Partnership Award
