SLCC has invested more than $1.8 million into its T. H. Harris Campus in St. Landry Parish since 2016, with an additional $400,000 in parking lot repairs planned this summer. The College has also added new programs and brought on new positions.
This investment comes as part of a plan to revitalize the St. Landry Parish campus and better align programs with local workforce needs.
The College has also invested more than $75,000 in marketing dollars to promote the programs in Opelousas via radio and newspaper ads as well as billboards.
In 2017, SLCC was awarded administration of Acadiana’s Workforce Investment and Opportunity Act (WIOA) grant, which focuses on serving each community’s displaced workers, unemployed residents, vulnerable youth, and individuals with disabilities. St. Landry Parish’s office located on Highway 749 is now under SLCC’s administration.
In a move to get more high school students earning college credits, SLCC announced this week the first Collegiate Technical Academy in partnership with St. Landry Parish Schools. The academy will be located at North Central High School and the Washington Career Center and will begin this fall. Through the academy, participating high school students will be able to complete both a Louisiana Jump Start high school diploma and technical diploma during their four years of high school.
“The partnership with SLCC has proven to be beneficial for students, our communities, and the St. Landry School District. Through this partnership, the Collegiate Technical Academy will provide students the workforce industry skills desired to acquire valuable assets…jobs. I believe this partnership is symbiotic,” said St. Landry Parish Schools Superintendent Patrick Jenkins.
Responding to local workforce demand for additional registered nurses in St. Landry Parish, the College has been working on the development of a new LPN to RN program at its Opelousas Campus. Pending approvals from state and national nursing boards in June, the program is scheduled to begin this fall. Local investors came forward with approximately $200,000 in start-up funds, including funding to renovate the college’s nursing lab, purchase necessary equipment, and fund faculty salaries.
Approximately 1,700 students have pursued for-credit credentials through SLCC’s T. H. Harris Campus since Fall 2015, with more than 50 individuals pursuing non-credit courses such as notary courses and heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration. Administrators are working with business and industry to identify additional programs based on workforce needs.
“SLCC, and particularly its T.H. Harris Campus, have been an integral part of St. Landry Parish education for many years. This investment in the future of our young people is particularly welcome at a time of growing recognition by employers of the value and necessity of a trained, skilled, certified workforce,” said Bill Rodier, Executive Director of St. Landry Parish Economic Development.
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ABOUT ACADIANA’S COMMUNITY COLLEGE
South Louisiana Community College is a comprehensive community college that operates campuses in Abbeville, Crowley, Franklin, Houma, Lafayette, Morgan City, New Iberia, Opelousas, St. Martinville, and Ville Platte. The college serves more than 15,000 students annually and offers an array of academic programs. Students earn associate degrees, technical diplomas, certificates, and industry-based certifications. It is ranked 14th among the Top 100 Associate Degree Producers as determined by Community College Week.