Beyond High School - What Will It Take To Build Cenla's Next Workforce?
Central Louisiana faces a unique challenge regarding workforce training beyond the high school level. In order to address this situation and structure a viable resolution plan, The Rapides Foundation commissioned Regional Technology Strategies, Inc. (RTS) to perform a strategic analysis on what it will take to build Cenla’s Next Workforce. RTS was selected over other candidates because of their experience regarding identification of comprehensive approaches to post-secondary education and training within regions and communities. 
Regional Technology Strategies’ analysis, presented to The Rapides Foundation, pointed to a single goal: How best to develop and implement a comprehensive, responsive, forward-thinking and coordinated approach to post-secondary pre-baccalaureate education and training for the entire region.
Recommendations:
- The difference between the demand for training and the supply of training; the lack of information on training and coordination of training efforts' and the missed opportunities for increased training, specialized training, and maximizing economic development efforts are gaps that need to be filled with a lead training institution that meets all those needs.
- The single greatest threat to Cenla’s continued economic viability is the lack of a comprehensive, integrated, and coordinated workforce development system. This makes training of new workers and incumbent workers even more important, because current workers have to increase productivity, and new workers must add value to the company immediately.
- Central Louisiana must establish a Comprehensive Community College. The only way that Central Louisiana can address its multiple problems in the workforce development system is to establish one institution that will focus full time on workforce development and provide a specific “go-to” point for businesses and jobseekers. The comprehensive community college will:
a. Be able to coordinate with the fragmented workforce training that already exists
b. Work hand-in-glove with businesses that need specialized training for new or incumbent workers
c. Gain additional levels of funding from the Incumbent Worker Training Program. Cenla is nearly one-tenth the population of Louisiana, and therefore should average more than three million dollars annually from state funds
A complete version of the report can be found at http://www.rapidesfoundation.org/uploads/BHSMarch09ReportFINAL.pdf