Welcome to the working world: New High School Grads Sign With Local Employers During New Orleans Career Center’s Signing Day
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.