WGNO: Entergy awarded $55M federal grant to strengthen New Orleans’ power grid

NOCC named among Entergy’s workforce development partners in grant.

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Entergy New Orleans has been awarded a $55 million federal grant from the United States Department of Energy, announced on Wednesday, Oct. 18.

The grant will fund Entergy’s “Line Hardening and Battery Microgrid” project, which aims to enhance local power grids against severe weather, like hurricanes and tornadoes, to reduce power outages.

Entergy officials said the benefits of the project include:

• Hardening the transmission of 97 structures, which is expected to prevent more than 564 million customer minutes of interruptions.

• Hardening the distribution of 381 structures, which is expected to prevent more than 45 million customer minutes of interruptions.

• Hardening and battery installation which will improve resilience during extreme weather situations, by reducing the expected frequency and time of outages due to electric infrastructure

• Deploying a line hardening and battery backup project, which will lower energy bills for communities.

The grant award also includes a community benefits plan that allows Entergy to work with community partners, like the New Orleans Career Center, the First72+ and Delgado Community College on workforce development programs.

It will also allow Entergy to work alongside the Community Benefits Advisory Board to ensure that customers in the area remain informed of construction updates.  

“This is a huge win for our customers, for our community, and for the City of New Orleans,” said CEO of Entergy New Orleans Deanna Rodriguez. “Federal grant funds at this scale will enable us to make our grid stronger — to keep the lights on longer when storms threaten in the future, and to restore power more quickly when service is interrupted. These funds will help offset the cost burden on our customers.”

Source: https://wgno.com/news/louisiana/orleans-parish/entergy-awarded-55m-federal-grant-to-strengthen-new-orleans-power-grids/

EXPANSION CONTINUES AS NEW ORLEANS CAREER CENTER HIRES & PROMOTES

NEW ORLEANS, La. August 9, 2023 – New Orleans Career Center (NOCC) continues its expansion to provide career prep and technical training to more New Orleanians with staff additions and a promotion. Each role extends the organization’s capacity to serve as many as 1,000 trainees a year across its high school and adult programs.  

Promotion

Courtney Guidry has been promoted to Director of Work-Based Learning & Apprenticeships. Guidry cultivates and manages NOCC’s work-based learning partnerships with local and regional employers. She also coordinates with the Louisiana Workforce Commission, unions, and employers to develop and maintain pre-apprenticeships and registered apprenticeships in high-demand industry sectors. Guidry was previously NOCC’s lead engineering/manufacturing instructor and work-based learning coordinator. 

New Hires

Janelle DeJan joined NOCC as Building Trades Industry and Partnerships Manager/Instructor. A Master Electrician, DeJan honed her craft over 20 years working on flood-damaged homes and commercial projects. She became a trades instructor specifically to increase minority leadership roles and participation in the electrical industry.  

Latasha Duncan, MSN, FNP, RN has begun as a Pre-Nursing/Nursing Instructor. She has nearly 30 years of nursing experience, is a Family Nurse Practitioner, and holds multiple additional nursing practice certifications.She most recently served as a Neuro-oncology chemotherapy nurse at Tulane Cancer Center treating patients with rare brain tumors.  

Lisa Encalade has been hired as Director of Facilities & Transportation. In this role, she oversees day-to-day operations of NOCC’s new building and manages trainee transportation to and from their high schools. Encalade previously worked in operations for InspireNOLA Charter Schools, Renew Charter Schools and the Recovery School District. 

Rickey Henry joined NOCC as Digital Media/IT Training Manager and Instructor. As a graphic design, art, and technology instructor, Henry brings the perfect combination of skills and experience to develop NOCC’s digital media and production pathways. Most recently, he served as CTE Coordinator for New Orleans College Prep. 

Lauren Miller has been hired as Adult Rapid Reskill Program Coordinator. In this role, Miller develops and implements program strategies for worksite development, skills training, recruitment, referral, and coordination of additional services for adult trainees. Miller was previously a high school Spanish teacher and nonprofit operations support contractor. 

Brittany Oden was hired as NOCC’s new Receptionist. Oden previously served as a Customer Service Coordinator at the Tulane Cancer Center. 

Terrance Payne joined NOCC as Building Trades Curriculum and Recruiting Manager/Instructor. He moved to New Orleans specifically to pursue a career teaching skilled trades to local students. Payne has worked in a wide range of construction fields, including flooring, carpentry, and heavy machinery operation. 

Anthonise Reese joined as Director of High School. Reese was previously Director of Career & Technical Education and a CTE Advisor at Warren Easton Charter High School. At NOCC, she leads high school training and oversees all instructional staff. She brings more than 20 years of CTE and education experience to her new role. 

Austin Richards joined NOCC as Digital Marketing Specialist. In this role, Richards will plan and execute social media and digital marketing efforts on behalf of NOCC to extend the organization’s reputation and reach into the community. 

Tanara Tenette has been hired as Director of Healthcare Training. In this role, Tenette will lead NOCC’s healthcare pathways, supervising healthcare instructors and overseeing their continued professional development. Tenette brings more than 20 years of academic and instructional leadership, along with direct healthcare experience, to this role. 

Brittney Y. Williams joined as Transition Coordinator. In this role, she acts as both super-supporter and liaison between trainees and their families and the next step, whether further training, employment or both. Williams brings a unique combination of experiences in higher education, behavioral health, and secondary education to help trainees explore and prepare for their post-graduation lives. 

Read more about this on NOLA.com.

NOCC’s first 5 Years!

FOUR NOCC SENIORS ACE ENGINEERING/MANUFACTURING TRAINING AND HEAD TO LSU

ACE Mentors Program trainees Giancarlo Casalegno, Clarence Cotton III, Rashad Thornton and Kameryn Washington all start LSU in the fall with scholarships resulting from their ACE Mentors participation and individual achievements.

NEW ORLEANS, La.– Giancarlo Casalegno, Clarence Cotton III, Rashad Thornton, and Kameryn Washington spent their senior year at New Orleans Career Center designing a sustainable electric go-kart track for New Orleans youth under guidance of their ACE Mentors and NOCC instructors. The collaboration and the work have paid off. All four will head to LSU in the fall to study engineering and architecture. Collectively, they’ve earned more than $20,000 in merit scholarships to help pave the way.

Cotton, Thornton and Washington received scholarships from the Palmisano Foundation, the charitable arm of WJ Palmisano, which aids students interested in the architecture, engineering and construction professions.

Cotton and Washington also received scholarships from the ACE Mentors Program, which pairs working professionals in architecture, construction and engineering with high school students to inspire and engage them to pursue careers in those fields.

Thornton plans to pursue a degree in civil engineering, Cotton has declared a mechanical engineering major, and Washington hopes to enter the architecture program.

Casalegno, who will graduate from New Orleans Maritime & Military Academy (NOMMA), has received Flagship Scholars award, Innovation Scholarship and Academic Excellence Scholarship from  LSU where he plans to pursue a degree in computer science.

“One of the biggest things I’ve gained at NOCC is confidence,” Cotton said. “Confidence that I can solve problems, that I can make it through LSU and get my degree, that I can be an engineer like I want to be and have that career.”

While at NOCC, all four ACE Mentors participants earned Autodesk® Inventor certifications and completed introductory engineering courses through UNO’s College of Engineering.  

New Orleans Career Center trainees choose career prep and technical education from among engineering/manufacturing, healthcare, culinary arts/hospitality management, building trades, and digital/IT pathways. They attend NOCC half-day, every day, for the entire school year, for one to three years.

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CREDENTIALS MEAN CONFIDENCE FOR NOCC SENIORS STARTING CAREERS AND COLLEGE

Pre-Nursing Instructor Jeraneta Davenport, Class of 2023 Sophie B. Wright graduates and NOCC certified Patient Care Technicians, Kelsie Tero, and Cynthia Tejeda with Dean of Students, Ashley Jones.

Record number of trainees earn professional certifications.

NEW ORLEANS, La. – More than 100 seniors from 18 of the city’s public high schools are graduating with more than a high school diploma because they spent half the day, every day at New Orleans Career Center (NOCC). This year 114 seniors earned professional-level, industry-based credentials at NOCC – more than in any prior year – in healthcare, engineering/manufacturing, and culinary arts and hospitality management. Many of them also earned college credits through UNO and Nunez Community College, placing them ahead of their peers toward degrees.

“My Autodesk® Inventor certification and the college engineering courses I took while I was at NOCC, plus our classes and projects, gave me the confidence to know I’ll succeed at LSU,” said Clarence Cotton III, a Warren Easton Charter High School Class of 2023 graduate. Cotton will start LSU in the fall majoring in Mechanical Engineering. “If I weren’t going to LSU, with my Inventor certification I could go out and get a job I could support myself with right now.”

He is one of 17 NOCC engineering/manufacturing trainees to graduate with this certification.

In NOCC’s healthcare pathways, 30 seniors earned the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant credential and 41 earned the Certified Patient Care Technician credential. Both certifications qualify them to enter high-demand healthcare career paths well-positioned to succeed. 

Twenty-six culinary arts and hospitality management trainees earned credits from Nunez Community College. More than half of those (15) earned Nunez’s Culinary Arts Certificate of Technical Studies, for which 30 hours of coursework is required across core and major courses and a C or better grade.

“These credentials and industry-aligned training give our graduating seniors important advantages over their peers,” said Carlin Jacobs, NOCC Chief Programs Officer. “They’re immediately employable in well-paid, high-demand jobs with real, achievable career ladders. Those who want to go on to college have the skills to work in their desired fields while in school, start gaining work experience at an earlier starting point, and take advantage of tuition reimbursement opportunities to help pay their tuition.” 

23 High School Participants Commit to LPN Apprenticeship Program During Signing Day

News Release

NEW ORLEANS, La., April 17, 2023 – Families, officials and instructors gathered recently at Delgado Community College’s Ochsner Center for Nursing and Allied Health to celebrate Signing Day for the inaugural class of the city’s new free, three-year path to becoming Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN). The 23 LPN trainees who signed their commitment letters attend seven different high schools across the city. The new pilot LPN apprenticeship program was developed by New Orleans Career Center (NOCC), Delgado Charity School of Nursing, and Ochsner Health. It is the only program of its kind in New Orleans.

“We looked for candidates who could commit, who had the drive, the acumen, and the support to see it through all three years,” said Carlin Jacobs, Chief Programs Officer at NOCC. “I’m thrilled with the caliber of these young people from New Orleans public high schools. Thanks to the support from school guidance counselors and our partnerships with Ochsner and Delgado, we have found a very impressive first cohort for the LPN program.”

Kaylin Blanchard – Edna Karr High School

Amari Simmons – Edna Karr High School

Fayvean Thomas – Edna Karr High School

Damyre White – Edna Karr High School

Brent Evans – Frederick A. Douglass High School

Keirra Lawrence – Frederick A. Douglass High School

Loreal Burnett – G. W. Carver High School

Yohana Gutierrez – L.B. Landry High School

Ciara Dregory – McDonogh 35 Senior High School

Christopher Terry – McDonogh 35 Senior High School

Ja’Mya Williams – McDonogh 35 Senior High School

Jamyrion Williams – McDonogh 35 Senior High School

Danielle Bryant – Eleanor McMain High School

Jazzi Garrett – Eleanor McMain High School

Amarie Howard – Eleanor McMain High School

Geovan Jackson – Eleanor McMain High School

Paris Jones – Eleanor McMain High School

Ganaé Jackson – Warren Easton Charter High School

Kemora Jefferson – Warren Easton Charter High School

Reianne Lewis – Warren Easton

Madison’lee Moore – Warren Easton

Fatimah Sherman – Warren Easton

Sa’Myra Wilson – Warren Easton

Starting in the fall of 2023, training will be conducted year-round at NOCC, Delgado, and Ochsner. Trainees will complete coursework and clinical requirements equivalent to any other state-approved LPN program. The pilot consists of a combination of industry-based credential certifications, dual-enrollment college coursework, clinical experiences, and workplace preparedness training. Upon completion, students will be eligible to apply to take the NCLEX exam required to exit nursing school and receive a practical nursing license. Louisiana’s State Board of Practical Nurse Examiners assesses all applications for the exam.

Delgado’s Practical Nursing Program prepares the student for a career as a licensed practical nurse (LPN). Clinical experience makes up more than 50 percent of the program hours. Students learn patient observation skills, treatments, and medications.

In addition to the intensive healthcare and medical coursework, trainees will complete Impact Training at Ochsner, a workforce development program that gives participants hard and soft skill sets and knowledge to increase performance and become reliable employees. The program includes workplace ethics training, communication and problem-solving strategies, and technical skills like equipment training, safety procedures, and use of ancillary patient medical devices.

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 About New Orleans Career Center

The New Orleans Career Center (NOCC) is the career and technical education hub for New Orleanians seeking entry into the region’s high-demand, high-wage employment sectors. We offer professional-level training for high school students, the LAUNCH fifth-year program for those who’ve just graduated from high school, and a Rapid Reskill program for adults. Since 2018, more than 1,000 local residents have gained the technical and soft skills they need to succeed in professional environments through hands-on training with industry and education experts. NOCC recently moved into its purpose-built forever home at 1331 Kerlerec Street which provides more than 143,000 s.f. of customized instructional space and nearly triples the training capacity.

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Featured on TODAY Show: Culinary & Hospitality Trainees Brown Butter Rice Cereal Treats

This take on a classic sweet treat gains a little more nuance from browned butter. In the process of browning, the flavor becomes nutty, which you will smell as it cooks.

TECHNIQUE TIP: Keep a close eye on the butter as it's browning and swirl the pan, or remove it from the heat for a few seconds if you feel it's getting too hot. Don't rush the process.

Ingredients

• cooking spray or neutral oil for the pan

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

• 1 (10-ounce) bag marshmallows

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 4½ cups crispy rice cereal

Preparation

1. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, then grease with cooking spray or wipe with oil.

2. Add the butter to a large saucepan set over low heat. Add the vanilla bean paste into the pan with the butter. The butter will melt, then begin to bubble and foam. Eventually, it will start to turn brown and smell nutty (be patient and watch carefully, as it can go from brown to burned quickly).

3. Once the butter is browned, add all of the marshmallows and the salt. Stir the mixture constantly until the marshmallows are completely melted. Turn off the heat under the pan and add the cereal. Use a rubber spatula or to coat the cereal evenly with the buttery marshmallow liquid. Spread the mixture in an even layer in the prepared baking pan. Let cool for at least an hour before cutting and serving.

Boh Bros. Construction Donates $100,000 to New Orleans Career Center

News Release

NEW ORLEANS, La., March 21, 2023 – Today New Orleans Career Center (NOCC) received a $100,000 contribution from Boh Bros. Construction Co., LLC to support construction industry career preparation and technical training. NOCC launches its skilled trades training in the fall and will accept 200 trainees from New Orleans high schools in the inaugural cohort. During the two-year training, high school participants will be introduced to all trades and will continue training in the career pathway of their choosing. Trainees will earn industry-based credentials valued by the local trades unions and employers, a key first step onto the construction industry career ladder.

“Boh Bros. is pleased to support the important work of the New Orleans Career Center as it begins operations in its beautiful new space on Kerlerec Street,” said Robert S. Boh, Chairman and CEO of the company. “Giving young New Orleanians the opportunity to receive construction industry career preparation and technical training will provide our high school graduates an awareness of the options they have to shape their future. We encourage our industry peers to join us in making the New Orleans Career Center a big success.”

“We’re enormously grateful to Boh Bros. for this gift and for their collaboration,” said Claire Jecklin, CEO of NOCC. “This will enable us to outfit our carpentry, electrical, welding, and machining labs with professional-grade tools and equipment.” NOCC accepts sophomores, juniors and seniors from all Orleans Parish high schools who are on track to graduate. Trainees spend half the school day at NOCC and half at their home high schools for the full school year.

The Boh Bros. gift comes via The NOLA Coalition. “On behalf of The NOLA Coalition, we commend Boh Bros. for their investment in the New Orleans Career Center,” said Michael Hecht of GNO, Inc., one of the organizers of The NOLA Coalition. “Companies like Boh Bros. are demonstrating the win/win of investing in our youth, while preparing the workforce of tomorrow.” 

Industry and employer partnerships inform all NOCC career and technical education pathways. For the skilled trades, NOCC sought the input of area construction professionals, trade unions, and trade training programs to inform the design of training spaces and skills being taught. Four state-of-the-art labs surround a covered, outdoor collaborative courtyard where the trainees will work on projects together, just as they would on a real job site.

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About New Orleans Career Center

The New Orleans Career Center (NOCC) is the career and technical education hub for New Orleanians seeking entry into the region’s high-demand, high-wage employment sectors. We offer professional-level training for high school students, the LAUNCH fifth-year program for those who’ve just graduated from high school, and a Rapid Reskill program for adults. Since 2018, more than 1,000 local residents have gained the technical and soft skills they need to succeed in professional environments through hands-on training with industry and education experts. NOCC occupies a 143,000 s.f. building in the heart of Tremé that was designed to provide industry-informed training spaces for as many as 1,000 people each year.

For more information, visit Nolacc.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

HEALTHCARE-WORKERS-IN-TRAINING LEARN TO “STOP THE BLEED” AT OCHSNER HEALTH

News Release

NEW ORLEANS, La. – More than 80 New Orleans Career Center (NOCC) high school trainees learned to “stop the bleed” at Ochsner Health recently. Healthcare trainees and their NOCC instructors spent two school days with Ochsner Education Outreach at Ochsner’s Clinical Simulation and Patient Safety Center on Jefferson Highway. In addition to this life-saving skill, the trainees practiced CPR, learned how to draw and inject medications, insert nasogastric tubes, and care for wounds. They were also introduced to the fields of infectious diseases and public health as possible career options. Work-based learning visits form an integral part of the NOCC career exploration and training process.

 “At NOCC, we prepare young people to be the city’s workforce of the future, to have the option and the training to enter satisfying, well-paid careers in high-demand sectors like healthcare,” said Carlin Jacobs, Chief Program Officer at NOCC. “Work-based learning visits like this one help us to offer truly meaningful career preparation, which is one of the things NOCC does best. And that is thanks in part to the depth of our employer partnerships.” 

NOCC trainees interacted with mannequins, simulated body parts, and working professionals throughout the day, including learning what various types of wounds feel like, whether surgical or accidental. They were also introduced to how diseases spread during a simulated social situation and conversation with Melvenia M. Martin, PhD, Scientific Director of Ochsner’s Education Outreach Program.

“We are thrilled to work with NOCC, to provide new opportunities for our youth to learn from professionals in our healthcare system, and to help the next generation enter and ultimately advance new careers in the healthcare industry,” said Dr. Martin.

NOCC’s career and technical education programs prepare New Orleanians to enter the region’s growth industries, including healthcare. Instructors in the healthcare pathway are multi-faceted allied health and nursing professionals who ensure trainees learn Basic Life Support, CPR, medical assisting and pre-nursing skills. All trainees work toward industry-based, professional-level certifications and credentials required for many high-demand occupations.

The Ochsner Clinical Simulation and Patient Safety Center is a multi-disciplinary, interprofessional training center that offers the most current technology to improve patient safety through the training of all practicing clinicians, along with students and residents. Its high-fidelity human patient simulators mimic the physiologic functions of a real patient. This allows learners to acquire and practice clinical skills in a safe environment.

NASA MICHOUD ASSEMBLY FACILITY INSPIRES TRAINEES DURING RECENT VISIT

News Release

Advanced manufacturing and aerospace engineering careers made real during NASA facility and Nunez Community College tours

NEW ORLEANS, La. – More than 30 high school trainees in New Orleans Career Center’s (NOCC) engineering/manufacturing pathway recently visited NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility. Michoud officials from NASA, Boeing and Lockheed Martin highlighted every step of the Artemis I Orion spacecraft’s construction, from component creation to final assembly of the core module and crew capsule. Work-based learning events like these offer NOCC trainees important exposure to future career options and help them build their own networks of working professionals. The group then visited Nunez Community College’s Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program designed to prepare Louisiana’s future aerospace manufacturing workforce.

“Learning about and seeing the entire assembly line for creating parts of a spaceship to send astronauts to space was mind-blowing,” said NOCC engineering/manufacturing trainee Kierstyn Guilbeau, who is also a senior at McDonogh 35 Senior High School. “We saw the entire process from drawing it out, to creating and welding parts, to bolting the individual sections together and attaching all parts of the spaceship so they could eventually send the astronauts off. Before the field trip, I was extremely clueless about aerospace engineering, what was going on in the NASA facility, and the impact their projects will have. Makes you realize people just like me can do extremely hard work like checking, double-checking and triple-checking work because there can be no mistake in the building process. It has opened my eyes to a new opportunity.”

NOCC’s career and technical education programs prepare New Orleanians for high-wage, high-demand occupations in the region’s growth industries, including engineering and advanced manufacturing. The engineering/manufacturing pathway introduces young people to computer-aided design, prototyping, 3D modeling and more. All trainees work toward industry-based, professional-level technical certifications and credentials required for many high-demand occupations. NOCC Engineering/Manufacturing instructors Allyson McKinney and Courtney Guidry led the group. They were joined by Andreas Pashos, Aerospace Program Manager at Nunez, who made the visit possible.

Read the Biz New Orleans coverage of the visit here.

TALK DAT: NOLA Education with Dr. Jahquille Ross and NOCC’s Chief Strategy Officer Jake Gleghorn

WBOK-AM 1230 Talk Dat: NOLA Education - Live Interview on March 7, 2023

Jake and Jahquille talk all things NOCC, from the beginnings of the Career Center to the new building and beyond.

Listen to the full interview on NOCC’s YouTube Channel.

TACKLING WORKFORCE SHORTAGES WITH CLAIRE JECKLIN, CEO OF NEW ORLEANS CAREER CENTER

BizTalks podcast, Episode 133 - posted January 3, 2023

“New Orleans’s future workforce is not going to prepare itself,” says NOCC CEO Claire Jecklin during her conversation with Biz New Orleans editor and BizTalks host Kim Singletary. Claire shares how NOCC is partnering with local industries to address the business community’s workforce needs and gives details of NOCC’s incredible new 143,000-square-foot space.

Listen to the full interview on any of these platforms or via the Biz New Orleans website:

Apple Podcast

Spotify

Google Podcast

NEW ORLEANS CAREER CENTER PLANS TO DRIVE MIDDLE-CLASS EXPANSION

Published in New Orleans CityBusiness on December 15, 2022

As the 15-year, $2 billion public school rebuilding project draws to a close, the New Orleans Career Center promises to create a path for students to fill the 12,200 jobs expected to be added to the Greater New Orleans economy over the next several years.

Many of those jobs will pay higher-than-average salaries and won’t require a college degree, according to industry leaders. NOCC is slated to move into its newly customized $33.4 million facility at 1331 Kerlerec St. in March 2023. The LEED-certified facility is among the last to be completed under the Louisiana Department of Education Recovery School District and the Orleans Parish School Board School Facilities Master Plan.
The building originally housed McDonogh 35 High School and was renovated to comprise 143,000 square feet. The renovation is being managed by JACOBS/CSRS and built by Broadmoor Construction. It was designed by SCNZ Architects.

NOCC trainees at the facility, including high schoolers, new graduates and adults, will have access to clinic and hospital simulation labs, a fully functional ambulance bay, a CAD lab, a maker space, a commercial-grade kitchen and catering space and an outdoor construction collaboration area. Once in the new building, NOCC will add programs for carpentry, electrical, HVAC and welding as well as Digital/IT/Cybersecurity pathways for high school trainees. The facility will also offer Emergency Medical Service training for adults.

Read the full story here.

NEW ORLEANS CAREER CENTER EXPANDING

Published in BIZ NEW ORLEANS on December 8, 2022

The New Orleans Career Center says business is booming.

This year, the job-training nonprofit has expanded enrollment, added instructors and staff, increased funding, grown partnerships and enlarged the scope of its programs and pathways. In addition, the renovation of the nonprofit’s new home at 1331 Kerlerec Street is nearing completion.

This year, 382 young people are enrolled in NOCC’s career prep and technical training for high schoolers. The organization has hired 10 new people and three existing employees have been promoted. The NOCC board is also expanding: Shannon Joseph, national director of nursing workforce pipeline at Ascension Health, and architect Christian Rodriguez, principal at Eskew+Dumez+Ripple, joined the board in October. Andre Kelly, New Orleans district area manager for Associated General Contractors of Louisiana, and Melissa Sparks, vice president, talent management at Ochsner Health,will contribute their industry expertise to the board starting early next year.

Read the full story here.

NEW ORLEANS CAREER CENTER EXPANDS TO MEET DEMAND

NEWS RELEASE

New people, new programs and pathways, new partnerships, new place

New Orleans, LA, December 6, 2022 – As economic outlook news stories swirl around the city and the state, New Orleans Career Center (NOCC) has been quietly preparing locals to help fill the 12,200 jobs projected to be added to the Greater New Orleans economy by 2025*. Already, NOCC has expanded enrollment, added instructors and staff, and enlarged the scope of programs and pathways. Funding from public and private sources has also grown. Existing partnerships have grown and new ones are under development. And the custom-conversion of NOCC’s new home at 1331 Kerlerec Street is nearing completion.

More young people, more professionals, more opportunities

This year, enrollment in NOCC’s career prep and technical training for high schoolers hit its highest number to date: 382 young people are currently preparing for high-wage, high-demand careers.

NOCC has also strengthened its leadership team, added instructors, and enhanced its support staff to help ensure trainees, employees, and partners have all the support they need. Ten new positions have been added and filled, and three existing employees promoted from within to round out the executive team. NOCC expects to continue to add operational and instructional staff between now and when the organization moves next spring. (See roster of new hires/promotions.)

NOCC’s Board is also growing. Shannon Joseph, national director of nursing workforce pipeline at Ascension Health and architect Christian Rodriguez, principal at Eskew+Dumez+Ripple, joined in October. Andre Kelly, New Orleans district area manager for Associated General Contractors of Louisiana and Melissa Sparks, vice president, talent management at Ochsner Health, will contribute their industry expertise starting early next year.

New programs and pathways

This year, NOCC welcomed the LAUNCH extension academy, a year-long career prep and training program for new high school graduates which began at YouthForce NOLA. Emily Ferris moved to NOCC to continue leading the program, and was joined by former LAUNCH team members Hannah Curry, Patrice Hammond and Geraldlyn Johnson. LAUNCH moved to NOCC to expand on its previous growth: participation doubled this fall.

In addition, NOCC recently announced its LPN Apprenticeship pilot program in partnership with Delgado Charity School of Nursing and Ochsner. NOCC has already added two new instructors and begun recruiting for the first group of LPN apprentices next fall.

The Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management pathway celebrated its first three RYRA Apprentices in conjunction with the Louisiana Restaurant Association. NOCC grad Ren Sommeillan-Harris recently completed their apprenticeship at local breakfast hotspot Wakin’ Bakin’ and has been hired full-time as a Line Cook. Two current LAUNCH participants, Sophia Elder and Denika Williams, have been hired as Line Cook apprentices at Saba.  

Once in the new building, NOCC will add Skilled Crafts (carpentry, electrical, HVAC, welding) and Digital/IT/Cybersecurity pathways for high school trainees and Emergency Medical Service training for adults. 

New partnerships

NOCC’s employer partnerships with both Ochsner Health and LCMC Health grew stronger and more formal this year. Both organizations continue to support the Adult Rapid Reskill training program. With Ochsner and Delgado Charity School of Nursing, NOCC recently announced the area’s first LPN Apprenticeship program. LCMC now formally includes NOCC as a workforce development partner in its annual planning and budgeting. Additional partnerships to support new training pathways in Skilled Crafts and Digital/IT/Cybersecurity are under development. 

NOCC’s donor partnerships also expanded in 2022. The organization’s largest grant came from the U.S. Department of Labor, via the Delta Regional Authority, which awarded NOCC $1.28 million in career training and education funds specifically to help offset regional job losses in the energy extraction industry. 

New place: purpose-built to prepare the city’s workforce of the future

In the Spring of 2023, NOCC will move into its newly customized building, purposefully designed to replicate state-of-the-art workspaces. In this 143,000 s.f. building, the next generation of New Orleans workers can explore their options, gain technical skills, and prepare to enter employment and college, confident and capable.

At 1331 Kerlerec Street, NOCC trainees – whether high schoolers, new grads, or adults – will have access to clinic and hospital simulation labs, a fully functional ambulance bay, CAD lab and maker space, commercial grade kitchen and catering space, along with a huge outdoor construction collaboration area. 

New year – 2023

NOCC expects to move into the Kerlerec Street building in early 2023. Additional pathways, programs, and partnerships will be added and announced throughout the year. 

*Source: GNO Inc., US Bureau of Labor Statistics

About New Orleans Career Center

The New Orleans Career Center (NOCC) is the career and technical education hub for New Orleanians seeking entry into the region’s high-demand, high-wage employment sectors. We offer professional-level training for high school students, the LAUNCH fifth-year program for those who’ve just graduated from high school, and a Rapid Reskill program for adults. Since 2018, more than 1,000 local residents have gained the technical and soft skills they need to succeed in professional environments through hands-on training with industry and education experts. In 2023, NOCC will expand into its new building which will provide more than 140,000 s.f. of customized instructional space and nearly triple its training capacity.

THE PATH TO A PRACTICAL NURSING CAREER CAN NOW START IN HIGH SCHOOL

NEWS RELEASE

NOCC, Delgado Charity School of Nursing and Ochsner join forces to pilot new LPN Apprenticeship program.

New Orleans, LA, October 4, 2022 — New Orleans high school students interested in nursing careers will soon have a free, three-year path to becoming Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) starting in 11th grade. The new pilot LPN apprenticeship program was developed by New Orleans Career Center (NOCC), Delgado Charity School of Nursing and Ochsner Health. Recruiting for a pilot cohort will begin in January for 20 seats. It is the only program of its kind in New Orleans.

“At NOCC, we prepare young people to be the city’s workforce of the future, to have the option and the training to enter satisfying, well-paid careers in high-demand sectors like healthcare,” said CEO Claire Jecklin. “The collaboration with Delgado and Ochsner creates an efficient new route to financially sustaining careers without the crippling burden of student loan debt.”

High school students accepted into the pilot cohort will begin their rigorous 36-month training in the fall of 2023. Training will be conducted year-round at NOCC, Delgado, and Ochsner. Funding comes from grants from the U.S. Department of Labor and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation. Interested sophomores should speak to their high school guidance counselor or complete the pre-Nursing pathway interest form. Although currently in the pilot stage, the partners expect to expand the program in the future.

“This new partnership between Delgado Charity School of Nursing, NOCC, and Ochsner Health is a fantastic opportunity for high school students to accelerate their career skills training in nursing so that they can become licensed, employed practical nurses as soon as possible after graduation from high school. Their educational and employment success as nurses will contribute to alleviating the shortage of trained healthcare professionals in our state. We are grateful to everyone involved in establishing this path-breaking opportunity,” said Cheryl Myers, PhD, Delgado Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs and College Provost and former Dean, Delgado Charity School of Nursing.

Trainees will complete coursework and clinical requirements equivalent to any other state-approved LPN program. Delgado’s Practical Nursing Program prepares the student for a career as a licensed practical nurse (LPN). Practical nurses take care of patients including feeding, bathing and maintaining patient charts. They administer medication and monitor equipment. They also assess and monitor the health and illness of patients. Practical nurses are employed predominantly by physicians’ offices, home health agencies, nursing homes, hospitals, and clinics. Clinical experience makes up more than 50 percent of the program hours. Students learn patient observation skills, treatments, and medications.

In addition to the intensive healthcare and medical coursework, trainees will complete Impact Training at Ochsner, a workforce development program that gives participants hard and soft skill sets and knowledge to increase performance and become reliable employees. The program includes workplace ethics training, communication and problem-solving strategies, and technical skills like equipment training, safety procedures, and use of ancillary patient medical devices.

Workforce development programs are an integral part of a collective Healthy State by 2030 plan, a bold initiative by Ochsner and dozens of partners to lift Louisiana off the bottom of health rankings. As local hospitals and clinics continue to see workers depart, programs and partnerships with collaborators like NOCC offer tangible solutions to growing the healthcare workforce pipeline and to helping more local residents invest in their careers and financial stability.

“At Ochsner, we are thrilled to deepen our partnership with NOCC to reach new talent and deepen opportunities for our youth to enter and ultimately advance new careers in the healthcare industry,” said Missy Sparks, PhD, Vice President of Talent Management at Ochsner. “We have a key role to play to ensure young people in the communities we serve have opportunities to become more economically stable and have mobility in their careers.”

The pilot consists of a combination of industry-based credential certifications, dual-enrollment college coursework, clinical experiences, and workplace preparedness training. Upon completion, students will be eligible to apply to take the NCLEX exam required to exit nursing school and receive a practical nursing license. Louisiana’s PN Board assesses all applications for the exam.

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NEW ORLEANS CITYBUSINESS NAMES NEW ORLEANS CAREER CENTER AMONG ITS 2022 BEST PLACES TO WORK

NOCC has been named among the New Orleans CityBusiness 20th annual Best Places to Work honorees.

The annual program was created by New Orleans CityBusiness and Best Companies Group to identify, recognize, and honor the best employers in New Orleans, benefitting the area’s economy, workforce, and businesses.

To be considered for participation, companies and organizations had to have a facility in the New Orleans area, have at least 10 employees working here, and be in operation at least one year.

Companies from across Greater New Orleans entered a two-part process to determine this year’s roster of top employers. The first part consisted of evaluation of each nominee’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems, and demographics (worth 25 percent of the total evaluation). The second part (worth 75 percent) was an anonymous employee survey to measure the employees’ experience.

Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Washington, analyzed the data, and determined the final rankings.

Honorees were selected in the Large Company category (250 or more employees), the Medium Company category (50 - 249 employees) and the Small Company category (10-49 employees).

*Look for NOCC in the Small Company category!

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BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION GRANT TO HELP NEW ORLEANS STUDENTS EARN DEGREES, CERTIFICATES

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded a $175,000 grant to a Louisiana initiative that aims to help more students get an associate degree or career technical certification within a year of finishing high school.

The grant recipient, Growing Bridge Year Pathways Across New Orleans, will build from the career and technical training work already being done by other New Orleans-based training providers.

With the grant, the group hopes to expand the number of bridge year program participants in New Orleans to 160 in 2022-23 and 250 in 2023-24.

The grant is part of the newly launched Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation initiative to expand career and technical training.

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A FAST-TRACK ASSOCIATE DEGREE

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation launched a new grant program to scale already-successful initiatives across the U.S. that help high school graduates attain postsecondary degrees quickly.

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CAREER CENTER TRAINEES IMAGINE NEW USE FOR CHARITY HOSPITAL BUILDING

Published on April 25, 2022

NEW ORLEANS – From the New Orleans Career Center:

High school students in the engineering/manufacturing pathway at New Orleans Career Center have designed a new use for part of the long-vacant Charity Hospital, thanks to the guidance of professionals in the ACE Mentor Program. NOCC trainees will present their project at the ACE graduation ceremony on April 27 at an event at the University of New Orleans. 

“The students came up with the idea to repurpose part of Charity Hospital as a multiplex with space for job training and services that help unhoused people re-enter society,” said Claire Jecklin, NOCC founding executive director. “The ACE Mentors ensure students understand the complexities involved in a project of that scale, accompany them on in-person visits to area employers, and develop real relationships they can rely on in the future. This program is a huge benefit to NOCC’s trainees, who will enter their working and college careers well- prepared with the knowledge, skills, and networks needed for those environments.”

NOCC’s engineering/manufacturing pathway provides hands-on training in the practical skills of drafting, 3D modeling, and prototyping. Students gain professional certification in Autodesk Inventor, a 3D CAD (computer- aided design) software widely used in industry for product design, rendering and simulation. Those involved in the ACE Mentor Program gain the added benefit of working side-by-side with architects, engineers and construction professionals on a project the students developed themselves.

THE ACE project team at NOCC consists of 13 students from a variety of New Orleans high schools. Students on the team serve in typical project roles such as architectural designers, civil or structural engineeers, construction estimators, project managers and construction supervisors. Six area professionals from architecture, engineering and construction backgrounds advise and mentor the students. 

“The ACE program is as rewarding for the mentors as it is for the students,” said ACE Lead Mentor Joey Lefante, senior associate/traffic engineer at Stantec. “I was impressed by the passion they showed for their chosen project. They saw it as something which could provide a real public service. And at its core, that’s really what our industry is all about. The structure of the Career Center is unique in that it brings together students from many different schools. This helps create a culture of collaboration and prepares them to build relationships in a work environment.”