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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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 Jeremy Oatis featured in Gambit’s 40 Under 40
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 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.
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.
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.
Lousiana Weekly covers New Orleans Career Center’s partnership with ACE Mentorship program.
New Orleans Career Center named among city’s Best Places to Work for second year in a row
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.
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.
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.
23 students from 7 high schools signed their commitment letters to the inaugural class of the new LPN Apprenticeship Program. They start the three-year journey at NOCC in August.
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.
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.
Trainees in NOCC’s healthcare pathways spent the day at Ochsner’s Clinical Simulation and Patient Safety Center. Staff offered practical skills training and practice including CPR, “stop the bleed,” wound care, and more.
“The trip to NASA Michoud Assembly Facility was a real eye opener regarding aerospace engineering.” So said NOCC trainee Kierstyn Guilbeau after the recent tour of Michoud and Nunez Community College’s Aerospace Technician Program.
