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.