In an effort to increase the number of work-ready residents in the state, nationally distributed cable channel CMT is joining forces with the Louisiana Community and Technical Colleges System (LCTCS) and Louisiana Calling, a nonprofit organization working to connect Louisianans with pathways to career and financial success. The partnership was announced today at the 2017 LCTCS Annual Conference, and aims to work alongside community and technical colleges to increase awareness of career training at the local level. Louisiana native and rising country star Courtney Cole was on-hand for the announcement, where she committed to return to her home state for an eight-stop community college tour in 2018.
According to the Louisiana Workforce Commission, Louisiana has unprecedented demand for skilled workers throughout the state, and these high-value positions often require training or education beyond a high school diploma. The statewide campaign will offer eight community colleges the opportunity for additional support at a local level, including a free concert featuring Courtney Cole.
"We are excited to partner with CMT in this endeavor and for the opportunity to broadly address the critically important issues of educational attainment and workforce development," said Monty Sullivan, president of the LCTCS. "Through our collaborative efforts, we will work to build the awareness of educational opportunities available throughout Louisiana and increase the number of citizens who receive life-changing academic and workforce training at our colleges, and in programs that lead to good paying jobs."
"This is an innovative partnership between CMT and the LCTCS that significantly invests in helping students become career-ready and improving the economic vitality of our rural communities," said Gov. John Bel Edwards. "This is something Louisiana needs especially when you consider that we are expected to add 225,000 new jobs by 2022 that will require some type of technical training. Congratulations to LCTCS and CMT on their collaboration and commitment to meeting the needs of our people in a way that will prepare them to earn a good living and supply business and industry with a well-trained workforce."
"After three years working with community and technical colleges across the US, we are excited to embark on our first-ever statewide tour alongside LCTCS," said Lucia Folk, VP, Public Affairs at CMT. "By focusing CMT Empowering
Education efforts in Louisiana - where we have access to the support of LCTCS and the network of stakeholders that Louisiana Calling represents - we can be more effective in connecting even more people to the many high-paying jobs available in the state."
CMT's Empowering
Education community college initiative, the channel's grassroots education campaign, was first announced in 2014 at the Clinton Global Initiative-America meeting. Working in collaboration with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the campaign experienced early success as the 10 pilot partner schools hosted local events, bringing star-power and helping put a face on education by highlighting success stories of students. Since 2014, the campaign has worked with 29 colleges in some of the nation's most economically-depressed regions to highlight the importance of earning a degree or certificate.
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