New Orleans Career Center prepares high schoolers and adults for success in the workforce
Tuition-free programs include culinary arts and hospitality management, patient care technician, licensed practical nursing, digital media, building trades and pharmacy tech.
Strengthen Health Care From Classroom to Clinic
Health science professionals play a critical role in delivering efficient, high-quality patient care. Still, too many health care facilities are struggling to fill the demand for nurses and allied health team members. Nearly one-third (31%) of employers have said it’s difficult to find qualified medical assistants, and the numbers paint a similar picture in other roles, like patient care, electrocardiography, and billing and coding (National Healthcareer Association, 2024). We need to do more to meet our country’s health care workforce demands.
New Orleans Career Center (NOCC), where I serve as director of work-based learning, is taking a novel approach to help meet this need and improve care outcomes for our community. We’ve built a sustainable and empowering program that connects high school students and adults with allied health careers. Through our partnership with the National Healthcareer Association (NHA), which provides educational materials and accredited, industry-recognized certification exams, more than 160 NOCC health care trainees certified as medical assistants and patient care technicians in 2023 alone.
Audacy: NOCC hopes to be "the local hub" for NOLA job seekers
One New Orleans job training center is hoping to be a go-to center for high quality technical education in the area. About half of New Orleans' jobs are considered "mid-skill," which means they require more than a high school degree, but not necessarily a bachelor's degree. Since 2018, the New Orleans Career Center has been helping area residents fill that need with education toward a variety of careers.
Axios: How a New Orleans nonprofit trains hundreds of high school students a year for new jobs
When Te'mon Crawford saw the New Orleans Career Center move into the fully renovated Tremé building that once housed McDonogh 35 Senior High School, he thought about his own new start and what he could do with his future.
An Evening with Alon Shaya to Support the New Orleans Career Center
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Chef Alon Shaya and the Shaya Barnett Foundation will host the second benefit dinner for the New Orleans Career Center (NOCC), the city’s hub for career and technical education (CTE). This cause is especially near and dear to Chef Alon whose own CTE teacher, Donna Barnett, inspired and encouraged him to discover his passion for cooking and helped him obtain his first kitchen job. Career and technical education forever changed his life and ultimately inspired the creation of the Shaya Barnett Foundation and their support for NOCC.
BIZ New Orleans: Department Of Labor Awards $4 Million To Create Nearly 500 Apprenticeships In New Orleans
Claire Jecklin, Chief Executive Officer & Founder of the New Orleans Career Center (NOCC) shared, “Being part of the NOLA LEADS collaboration will enable us to expand our pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship pathways. This means we can connect more trainees to more paid Registered Apprenticeships in high-demand careers such as Carpentry, Electrical, HVAC, Welding, Pharmacy Technician, Licensed Practical Nurse, and Line Cook and support their ongoing success. It will also enable us to strengthen our employer partnerships and grow the number of New Orleanians who make up a highly trained, mid-skill local workforce.”
CityBusiness: New Orleans Career Center Sees Record Enrollment, Expands Offerings To Meet Community Demand
To support the highest-ever demand for its programs, the city’s flagship career center and technical education (CTE) provider expanded its offerings and added new staff this summer. Over the last two weeks, New Orleans Career Center (NOCC) welcomed a record number of trainees – more than 600 – into its five industry sectors. NOCC has hired 14 new staff members, doubling in size in the last two years. This expansion is in response to demand from local industry for qualified local talent and demand for more CTE opportunities from families, schools, and community-based organizations.
New Orleans Career Center sees record enrollment, expands offerings to meet community demand
To support the highest-ever demand for its programs, the city’s flagship career and technical education (CTE) provider expanded its offerings and added new staff this summer. Over the last two weeks, New Orleans Career Center (NOCC) welcomed a record number of trainees – more than 600 – into its five industry sectors. NOCC has hired 14 new staff members, doubling in size in the last two years. This expansion is in response to demand from local industry for qualified local talent and demand for more CTE opportunities from families, schools, and community-based organizations.
New Orleans, LA, August 19, 2024 – To support the highest-ever demand for its programs, the city’s flagship career and technical education (CTE) provider expanded its offerings and added new staff this summer. Over the last two weeks, New Orleans Career Center (NOCC) welcomed a record number of trainees – more than 600 – into its five industry sectors. NOCC has hired 14 new staff members, doubling in size in the last two years. This expansion is in response to demand from local industry for qualified local talent and demand for more CTE opportunities from families, schools, and community-based organizations.
“It’s very encouraging to see the organization and the building moving toward the kind of capacity that will best serve the community,” said Carlin Jacobs, NOCC Chief Programs Officer. “From the very beginning, we knew that once our trainees were out in the world, the value of accessible, high-quality CTE would become evident to parents and the business community. We couldn’t be more happy to be able to extend these opportunities to more New Orleanians.”
NOCC’s growth this summer includes
Five new training options for those over 18: Medical Assisting, Facilities Maintenance, Electrical, Welding, Pharmacy Technician
86 trainees over 18 enrolled
A new specialized second year of Building Trades training for high school students - trainees can choose to focus on Carpentry, Electrical, or Welding
14 new hires (see names below), including instructors, success coaches, and operations personnel (total staff is now 42 people, double in size from 2022)
520 high school trainees enrolled from 22 New Orleans schools
The NOCC team now includes
Shanitra Charles, Instructor, Pre-Nursing
Myles Ford - Instructor, Pharmacy Technician
Diana Kennedy - Instructor, Pre-Nursing
Wynn Martin - Success Coach
Elantonio McKarry - Instructor, Building Trades
Bria Hays-Mackey - Bookkeeper
MacKenzie Rosenberg - Success Coach
Maria Schneider - Program Coordinator
Cedric Singleton - Instructor, Building Trades
Taralyn Stephens - Instructor, Culinary
Lee Stevenson - Instructor, Building Trades
Aaron Washington - Trainee Support Coordinator
Anastasia Williams-Smith - Program Coordinator
Terrance Payne has been named Director of Building Trades Training. Terrance was one of the organization’s inaugural trainers in the Building Trades program and now leads a team of multi-disciplinary instructors to build out this high-demand career pathway.
NOCC leaders expect the growth to continue in a controlled manner over the next few years.
“We know there are more New Orleanians whose lives could be changed by what NOCC offers,” Jacobs continued. “At full capacity, more than 1,000 locals a year will experience high-quality CTE training programs and be equipped with the technical skills, the workplace knowledge, and the professional networks to succeed in careers they choose.”
The Family Empowerment Podcast, Powered by Clover Nola: Where Are The Workers Study
Welcome to the Family Empowerment Podcast, Powered by Clover Nola! 🎙️🌟 In this episode, our host Dr. Arnel Cosey sits down with Claire Jecklin, CEO of the New Orleans Career Center, to discuss workforce development in our community. 👩🏫✨ Claire shares insights into how the Career Center provides technical training for high school youth and adults, focusing on those aged 18 to 24 and the unemployed or underemployed. 🎓🔧 We delve into our collaborative efforts on the "Where Are the Workers" study, which examines local talent, work opportunities, wages, barriers, and training needs in New Orleans. 📊📈 Key findings highlight the high interest in healthcare jobs and the necessity for better job training programs and wraparound services like transportation and childcare. 🏥🚌 Claire emphasizes the importance of coordinated efforts among community organizations to support workforce development and improve economic mobility. 🤝💼 Tune in to learn more about how we can all contribute to creating better opportunities and support systems for our workforce. 🌟💪 Don't forget to subscribe and follow us on social media for more empowering content! 📲💬 For more information about Clover Nola, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @CloverNewOrleans. To learn more about the New Orleans Career Center, visit their website at NOCC.org or find them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 🌐📱
New Orleans Career Center’s Dean of Students celebrated in this year’s 40 under 40 class!
New Orleans Career Center’s Dean of Students Jeremy Oatis featured in Gambit’s 40 Under 40
Walt Disney World hosts up-and-coming New Orleans chefs
Attractions Magazine takes you behind the scenes of Walt Disney World, where up-and-coming female chefs spend three days learning about Disney culinary and catering alongside four trainees from the New Orleans Career Center.
FOUR NEW ORLEANS CAREER CENTER GRADS GIVEN MAGICAL TRIP TO WALT DISNEY WORLD
Four recent New Orleans Career Center culinary grads are heading to Walt Disney World for an all-expenses-paid culinary adventure. Aniya Bailey-Kelly, Madison Black, Brianna Blunt, and Heavan Hall are among 22 aspiring chefs selected for the "Culinary Dreams Come True" experience. The four-day trip includes behind-the-scenes tours, fine dining experiences, and theme park visits. Inspired by "Tiana's Bayou Adventure," the program celebrates New Orleans' culinary legacy. NOCC Chief Programs Officer Carlin Jacobs praised the students' passion and dedication. Bailey-Kelly, eager to expand her skills, will soon start an apprenticeship at Zea. The NOCC offers free career and technical education to prepare students for in-demand industries.
Aniya Bailey-Kelly ’24, Madison Black ’23, Brianna Blunt ’24 and Heavan Hall ’24 will meet Disney’s culinary experts and tour kitchens at the world-renowned destination
NEW ORLEANS, LA., July 23, 2024 – Four recent grads of New Orleans Career Center’s (NOCC) Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management training are headed to Walt Disney World on an all expenses paid trip behind the scenes at Disney World’s culinary offerings. Aniya Bailey-Kelly, Madison Black, Brianna Blunt, and Heavan Hall departed New Orleans today along with 18 other young aspiring female chefs. The “Culinary Dreams Come True” excursion results from a collaboration between New Orleans & Company, Southwest Airlines, Visit Orlando, and Walt Disney World Resorts. In addition to insider experiences at some of Orlando’s top fine-dining restaurants, the four-day trip includes complimentary flights, accommodations, and theme park tickets.
The trip was inspired by the recent opening of “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure,” the newest attraction at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. The late Chef Leah Chase inspired the Disney film “The Princess and the Frog,” on which the attraction is based.
“Our goal at the New Orleans Career Center is for trainees to gain the skills, the knowledge, and the networks to succeed in their chosen careers. Having four of our trainees on this Disney adventure exactly dovetails into that goal. Each of them has demonstrated the kind of culinary passion, personal connection, and desire to achieve that Chef Leah Chase herself always exemplified. We’re very proud and truly elated for these young women,” said Carlin Jacobs, Chief Programs Officer at NOCC.
For Bailey-Kelly, who earned three industry-based certifications and two career and technical certificates from Nunez Community College while at NOCC, the trip offers the chance to spread her culinary wings. “I expect to gain a new outlook on things I can do in the kitchen,” she said of the trip. “I always look for ways I can expand what I can do and how I approach my culinary career.”
All four NOCC grads are already taking the next steps to further their culinary careers. Bailey-Kelly and Hall start Louisiana Restaurant Association Apprenticeships at Zea and Gianna, respectively, shortly after their return from Orlando. Blunt currently works at Cochon and Black at the French Quarter location of breakfast favorite Wakin’ Bakin’.
New Orleans Career Center offers career and technical education in five high-demand industry sectors: healthcare, building trades, digital media/IT, engineering, and culinary arts/hospitality management. Both high school students and adults attend at no cost and earn industry-based credentials tied to careers with opportunities for further learning and financial stability.
TIANA'S BAYOU ADVENTURE: Aspiring New Orleans chefs head to Walt Disney World to learn from Disney Culinary Team
Culinary and hospitality trainees got a magical surprise! In a visit to the historic Dookey Chase Restaurant trainees learned about an exclusive trip to Walt Disney World to experience Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — 24 young, aspiring chefs from New Orleans are heading to Walt Disney World to learn from the Disney Culinary Team. They’re going on this educational vacation because of the city’s connection with the brand-new ride, “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.”
“Thanks to Southwest Airlines, Visit Orlando and New Orleans & Company, as well as Walt Disney World, we are surprising these young women with a trip of a lifetime. To us, they are the future culinary greats of New Orleans,” said Chief Marketing Officer of New Orleans & Company Mark Romig.
Speaking of greats, the late and great “Queen of Creole Cuisine,” Leah Chase, is the inspiration for both Princess Tiana and Disney World’s new ride.
One of Leah’s daughters, Stella Chase, is instrumental in keeping her mom’s legacy alive.
“I’m so honored that these young ladies have decided to go into the career of culinary service to New Orleans. That would make my mom so happy, because when she started, very few women were in the industry,” Stella said.
“I just wanted to come back with different experiences and outlooks of things to do in the kitchen,” said Anaiya Bailey-Kelly, an aspiring chef.
“I think it is pushing me out of my comfort zone, and I think it’s good for me,” said another aspiring chef, Zoey Kenney.
Welcome to the working world: New High School Grads Sign With Local Employers During New Orleans Career Center’s Signing Day
Just days before graduation, 40 New Orleans Career Center (NOCC) seniors accepted employment offers from major regional employers. Boh Bros. Construction LLC, Louisiana Restaurant Association, Ochsner Health, and RNGD all extended job offers that directly align with the training and industry-based certifications the trainees gained at NOCC while in high school. All of the employer partners screened and interviewed trainees at NOCC’s first annual Hiring Day in April.
NEW ORLEANS, LA – Just days before graduation, 40 New Orleans Career Center (NOCC) seniors accepted employment offers from major regional employers. Boh Bros. Construction LLC, Louisiana Restaurant Association, Ochsner Health, and RNGD all extended job offers that directly align with the training and industry-based certifications the trainees gained at NOCC while in high school. All of the employer partners screened and interviewed trainees at NOCC’s first annual Hiring Day in April.
“Signing Day is the culmination of these young people’s experience at NOCC. Our goal has always been to connect our trainees and our employer partners throughout the entire year,” said Carlin Jacobs, NOCC Chief Programs Officer. “We want trainees to meet and get to know working professionals, both to understand their careers and build professional networks. Our employer partners witness the curiosity and the desire to learn that motivate our young people to earn industry-based credentials and become work-ready.” [See Signing Day video here – approved for media use.]
Boh Bros. hired NOCC Building Trades trainees Torrance Brumfield and Titon Reimonenq into construction positions with the company. “Boh Bros. has been a proud supporter of the New Orleans Careers Center since we began construction on their building in 2021. NOCC’s leadership team understands the current challenges in both the educational space and the labor market, but equally importantly they have worked hard to understand what it takes for a graduate to be job ready. We believe they are in a unique position to help bridge the gap for our community and we are excited to be a part of it,” said Robert Senior, Boh Bros. Chief Financial Officer.
Louisiana Restaurant Association accepted six Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management trainees into Registered Apprenticeships: Aniya Bailey-Kelly, Brianna Blunt, Heavan Hall, Tasia Harris, Patrick Holland, and Tia Jolivette.
Ochsner has hired 30 NOCC healthcare trainees (see names below) to work at its Baptist campus. "Ochsner Health is committed to workforce development and supporting the communities we serve. Our partnership with New Orleans Career Center is building community and building a strong foundation to help us meet our workforce needs. During the time they spent at Baptist during their training, these young people have demonstrated they have the skills, the industry credentials, and the work ethic to be successful in a healthcare environment. We're pleased to welcome them to the team at Ochsner Baptist," said Ochsner Baptist Chief Executive Officer Beth Walker.
Ten of the new Ochsner hires are members of the city’s first LPN Apprenticeship program, a partnership between NOCC, Delgado Charity School of Nursing and Ochsner. They have now officially become LPN Apprentices at Ochsner and will work clinical hours there while taking classes at Delgado to complete their three-year LPN journey next year.
RNGD, a Palmisano company, has hired Building Trades trainees Girod County and Sheldon Stocks into construction positions.
Employer partners engage with NOCC in a variety of ways, whether offering work-based learning visits, providing guest instructors, or professional mentors to trainees. These efforts each provide insight into the caliber of training at NOCC and the employability of NOCC grads.
Throughout the school year, NOCC trainees also practice interview skills, learn skills that contribute to their employability such as how to communicate professionally, how and when to take initiative, learning from mistakes or obstacles, financial literacy, and more.
This school year more NOCC high school trainees than ever before earned their industry-based credentials – 89 percent of those who tested. NOCC’s high school trainees come from 22 partner public high schools throughout the city, spending half-day at NOCC and half-day at their home high school. The highly sought-after industry-based credentials span five in-demand regional industries: healthcare, building trades, engineering, digital media, and culinary arts/hospitality management.
Early certification translates to a significant advantage for these young people. Not only do they now have a leg up in the region’s competitive job market, they also gained two months of extra experience, from additional hands-on training at NOCC to work-based learning opportunities with local employers, clinical rotations with local health systems, and eligibility for Registered Apprenticeships.
Each year, most of the Orleans Parish high school students who earn advanced industry-based credentials do so at NOCC. In 2023, that proportion hit 77%. NOCC is the hub for the city’s career and technical education programs for high schoolers and the flagship workforce development location for both students and adults. Watch our credential ceremony honoring this year’s certified trainees here.
Ochsner Hires:
Certified Patient Care Technicians
Tionna Albert
Sache Ayala
Dajanae Covington
Tiara Ellis
Syrae Henry
Fernanda Hernandez
Kenderick Hills
Alirea Johnson
Mariah Jones
Corey Kelly
Cai Meads
Gabrielle Miller
Sadaya Polk
Christianey Williams
Certified Clinical Medical Assistants
Kennedy Dixon
Brooke Hobbs
Amay’a Jones
Tatyana Quinn
Ange’l Smith
Alaya Tanksley
LPN Apprentices
Danielle Bryant
Jazzi Garrett
Yohana Gutierrez
Geovan Jackson
Reianne Lewis
Madison’lee Moore
Fatimah Sherman
Ja’Mya Williams
Jamyrion Williams
Sa’Myra Wilson
EDITORS NOTE: Exclusive individual trainee stories, b-roll of hands-on training, and video of trainee interviews available upon request. Contact Amy Ferguson for more.
NOCC students unveil design for former Six Flags
Lousiana Weekly covers New Orleans Career Center’s partnership with ACE Mentorship program.
By Makenna Mincey
Contributing Writer
High school students across New Orleans came together this year to do something big for their city: design an ideal recreation and entertainment venue.
On April 17 at 6 p.m. in the Senator Ted Hickey Ballroom of the University of New Orleans’ University Center, students from the New Orleans Career Center (NOCC) presented their project – a water park and a multi-story outdoor entertainment venue – at the ACE graduation ceremony.
“The students participating in ACE this year at NOCC have been doing an excellent job working with the architect, construction, and engineering mentors to come up with a creative idea that they would like to see in the community,” said Brett Ruppel, chief construction officer at RNGD, a Palmisano Company.
“They began the year by storyboarding out the idea into a real project and have progressed through the design, engineering, construction cost and build schedule of what they thought up. Exposing the students early to the three ACE disciplines with participating mentors from local companies gives the real-world connection to a future career that is sometimes hard to envision,” Ruppel continued.
The ACE Mentor Program of America connects students at New Orleans Career Center with professionals in architecture, construction and engineering fields, and then challenges them to use what they have learned to create the change they want to see in their community. With guidance from their mentors, NOCC students in the ACE Mentor Program reimagined the former New Orleans East Six Flags property as the “Bottom of the Bayou” water park.
“At the beginning of the school year we all came together and we were just looking for a place to build something in and we ended up doing a water park idea. So, we went back to the old Six Flags because you know, it’s kind of the same structure of a water park, however it’s not really being used,” said Fatima Hernandez, a NOCC student.
The efforts of this program go far beyond the culminating project, though. The ACE program has been around for 30 years, dedicated to creating a better equipped and inclusive workforce by providing new skills and new goals for its students, while also benefiting them socially.
“With this program I was able to learn how to quickly communicate with everybody else, how to read a situation, and also how to be able to just understand everybody’s different opinions, because that was like a big thing with my group. We came up with different ideas and then we had to discuss whether it was good for our project or not, so I think, like a lot of social skills were such a good gain for me,” Hernandez stated.
In total, 53 students and 20 mentors participated in the ACE Mentorship Program this year, divided into three teams. This is only a portion of the amazing work that came from the program’s talent this year. The next generation of New Orleans infrastructure is here, and the future is looking brighter than ever before.
“I heard about this program and the first year that I mentored local high school students I was like, ‘Wow, I wish I had something like this growing up,’” said ACE Mentorship Program Chair for New Orleans Lexi Tengco.
Tengco, a vice president with Multi.Studio, an architecture firm which specializes in education design, believes the program is helping to unlock untapped resources for the city’s design and development future – a new generation of architecture and design professionals.
“I think it’s a tremendous benefit,” Tengco continued, “especially because we have so much development in New Orleans and we really want to retain that local talent. So, in order to do that, you have to show students opportunities that exist after they graduate.”
To learn more about the ACE Mentor Program, visit www.acementor.org.
NEW ORLEANS CAREER CENTER CELEBRATES CERTIFICATION MILESTONE
New Orleans Career Center trainees hit major certification milestone
New Orleans, La., April 15, 2024 — More high school trainees than ever before at New Orleans Career Center earned their industry-based credentials as of March 15, 2024 – two months before the end of the school year. An impressive 85 percent of trainees from 22 partner public high schools throughout the city have now passed highly sought-after certifications across five in-demand regional industries: healthcare, building trades, engineering, digital media, and culinary arts/hospitality management.
Early certification translates to a significant advantage for these young people. Not only do they now have a leg up in the region’s competitive job market, they also gained two months of extra experience, from additional hands-on training at NOCC to work-based learning opportunities with local employers, clinical rotations with local health systems, and eligibility for Registered Apprenticeships.
Each year, most of the Orleans Parish high school students who earn advanced industry-based credentials do so at NOCC. In 2023, that proportion hit 77%. NOCC is the hub for the city’s career and technical education programs for high schoolers and the flagship workforce development location for both students and adults.
Watch our credential ceremony honoring this year’s certified trainees here.
CityBusiness: NOCC named among 2023 Best Places to Work for Second Year
New Orleans Career Center named among city’s Best Places to Work for second year in a row
For the second consecutive year, New Orleans Career Center has been ranked among the city’s Best Places to Work by New Orleans CityBusiness. To compete in the the annual ranking, companies must submit nomination forms disclosing workforce data such as salaries, benefits, retention levels and employee advancement. The next part of the process involves an anonymous survey of company employees to measure workplace culture.
Honorees were selected in the Large Company category (250 or more U.S. employees), the Medium Company category (50–249 U.S. employees) and the Small Company category (10–49 U.S. employees).
Source: https://neworleanscitybusiness.com/blog/2023/12/15/best-places-to-work-2023/
NOLA.com: New Orleans is giving $5M in COVID money to 10 nonprofits for new economic mobility project
New Orleans is giving $5M in COVID money to 10 nonprofits for new economic mobility project. NOCC to receive $500,000 toward career prep programs for underemployed youth.
NOCC receiving $500,000 toward career prep and technical education for underemployed youth
NEW ORLEANS (TP|Nola.com) — New Orleans is handing out millions in federal American Rescue Plan Act money to 10 local nonprofits as part of a new economic mobility project, the city announced Wednesday.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration will direct $5 million to 10 community-based organizations s as part of the city’s Economic Mobility in Motion project.
Each group will receive between $250,000 and $1 million for initiatives aimed at improving financial literacy, career opportunities and economic prospects, Cantrell said in a press release.
The programs will help an estimated 3,000 people.
“The selected programs represent a variety of initiatives that are making a real difference for our people, and I express my gratitude to them for ensuring no one is left behind as we move New Orleans forward,” Cantrell said in the press release.
Projects proposed include guaranteed income programs for 100 pregnant mothers under the March of Dimes and for 800 at-risk students who attend the Rooted School on Southern University’s campus. Both organizations were awarded $1 million.
The First 72+, a group that connects formerly incarcerated people with critical resources, was awarded $500,000, along with the New Orleans Career Center in support of healthcare and technical education programs for underemployed youth.
"Economic stability is a critical determinant of an individual's health outcomes,” said Director of New Orleans Health Department Dr. Jennifer Avegno. “Addressing social needs through anti-poverty programs, financial literacy and asset building has been shown to significantly improve length and quality of life,” she said.