DRA “Mini-Tour” stops in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama
Last month, Chairman Caldwell visited Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama as part of a “mini-tour” of the region to speak with community leaders, tour program facilities, announce new DRA funding, and attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a recently completed DRA-funded project. Included in the visit was the City of West Monroe, the University of Louisiana Monroe, Hinds Community College, and the University of West Alabama.
At the University of Louisiana Monroe, Chairman Caldwell joined ULM President Dr. Ronald Berry to announce a $1,074,510 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC) initiative to develop the “High School Business Academy in the Louisiana Delta” program. The program will teach students from Richland, Morehouse, East Carroll, and Ouachita parishes the basics of entrepreneurship, management, marketing, and accounting, and participating college-bound students can earn up to 18 hours of college credit.
In West Monroe, Chairman Caldwell met with Mayor Staci Mitchell, DRA Louisiana Designee Leslie Durham, and Louisiana Economic Development Deputy Secretary Brad Lambert to discuss plans for the Highland Park Commercial Subdivision, which was awarded a $714,512 DRA investment through the States’ Economic Development Assistance Program (SEDAP). The investment is projected to create 20 new jobs, affect 20 families, and provide much needed infrastructure improvements to further develop the City of West Monroe. Following a press conference announcing the SEDAP award, they proceeded to West Monroe’s Business District for a ribbon-cutting celebrating the completion of DRA-funded Commercial Park.
Hinds Community College (HCC) President Dr. Stephen Vacik welcomed Chairman Caldwell to speak with industry partners in Mississippi and tour the KLLM Driving Academy and Diesel Technology Academy. These two nationally recognized academies, established in collaboration with industry partners in the transportation and logistics sectors, train over 1,000 incumbent workers annually with over 95% participant employment placement rates. HCC incorporates a registered apprenticeship program within both academies.
Chairman Caldwell joined the University of West Alabama (UWA) President Dr. Ken Tucker to officially launch the “Skills on Wheels” Mobile Training Lab. UWA Vice President Dr. Tina Jones, Alabama DRA Designee and ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell, and Alabama DRA Alternate Designee Crystal Talley were also present at the launch. The “Skills on Wheels” Lab was part of a 2019 WORC grant project designed to address current barriers and gaps in the workforce pipeline. The project’s goal is to increase the advanced manufacturing employment skill sets in underserved DRA counties.
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