Workforce Development Awards

Craft Workforce Development Awards Banquet

Click to see 2024 event pictures

The 17th Annual Craft Workforce Development Awards Banquet is the highlight of our long-standing benchmarking and award program. Leaders from industrial manufacturing facilities, industrial contracting companies, post-secondary institutions, and local school systems come together to celebrate the accomplishments across the craft workforce development ecosystem.

Date: August 21, 2024
Time: 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Renaissance Baton Rouge
7000 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA, 70810

About the Awards Program

The Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance, Inc. (GBRIA) Craft Workforce Development Awards acts as both an awards and benchmarking program. This program was developed in 2007 through a joint effort of GBRIA’s Contractor Workforce Development Committee, Board of Directors, and local contractors. The program has been designed to promote best practices to improve the skills and retention of craft personnel in the region and to recognize and reward contractors, member plants, schools, educators, and other individuals who contribute to recruitment, assessment, training, career path education, and retention efforts. These awards support one of GBRIA’s strategic objectives to ensure access to a competitive and skilled company & contract workforce.

What’s in it for you?

1. Gain a better understanding of industrial craft workforce development efforts within Southeast Louisiana, from high school through college, and the effectiveness of the cents/hour training program(s);
2. Benchmark craft workforce development efforts and compare to others in the area (all data is kept confidential, and no company is identified or identifiable from the report data);
3. Improve cents/hour craft training donation/collection efforts (ABC, union, NCCER, or others);
4. Compete for a GBRIA Craft Workforce Development Award. Contractors, individuals, post-secondary institutions, and high schools are eligible to receive awards and recognition.

Eligibility

GBRIA member companies may nominate any contractor falling into the categories listed below whose services they are currently using or have used in the last year. Contractors may ask plants to nominate them or may self-nominate. High Schools and Post-Secondary Institutions can likewise solicit nominations and/or self-nominate. Champions are eligible based upon a nomination submission by a GBRIA member, contractor, or via self-nomination.

Criteria for Nomination Evaluation​

The GBRIA Craft Workforce Development Awards Selection Committee (participation on the committee is open to all GBRIA members, i.e., plants/facilities) will consider nominees as eligible based on a complete nomination, which includes an online submission as well as completion of an interview.

Award Categories​

Workforce Development Awards will be presented to qualified recipients based on the type of work and size of their company. Nominees may fall into the following type of categories:

1. General Construction & Maintenance
2. Civil and Structural Contractors (including ironwork, infrastructure, and heavy work)
3. Specialty Trade Hard Craft (including millwright, pipefitter, etc.)
4. Specialty Trade Soft Craft (including insulation, painting, scaffolding, etc.)
5. Technical Support (including non-destructive testing, boilermakers, environmental, etc.)
6. Other Specialty Contractors not otherwise categorized
7. Champions – may be presented at the discretion of the committee to educators, post-secondary institutions or other individuals or organizations who have demonstrated special initiatives or accomplishments in craft workforce development.

Nominees may fall into the following size categories:

1. Division I
2. Division II
3. Division III

The size categories are based on the total hours worked company-wide. The GBRIA Award Selection Committee will determine what size category a company falls in after all nominations are received. Awards will be presented in each category. Contractors who complete the nomination process will receive a percentage score based on their benchmarking application and workforce development program evaluation by GBRIA’s Contractor Workforce Development Committee. Based on their scores, each contractor will receive an Award of Excellence, Award of Merit or Award of Recognition. GBRIA will also present a Best of Division Award to the highest scoring contractor company in each division size.

For More Information

For more information on this program, please contact Brandon Smith at brandon@gbria.org

GBRIA Craft Workforce Development Hall of Fame

This award has only been given to a few select individuals, who have demonstrated a lifetime of achievement that has impacted generations of students and improved Louisiana’s Craft Workforce Development educational efforts. GBRIA has been an integral part of craft workforce development and a key driver as an organization, however, the organization is made up of individuals who volunteer their time, not only with GBRIA but also with many other organizations so that future generations may benefit from our collective efforts. Industry and its talented contractors have worked together for over 50 years and in that time, dedicated individuals such as our Hall of Fame inductees have made such a huge difference.

• Robert Clouatre, ABC Pelican, 2013 Inductee
• Melanie Searles, ABC Pelican, 2015 Inductee
• Lane Grigsby, Cajun Industries, 2019 Inductee
• Eddie Rispone, ISC, 2019 Inductee
• Glen Redd, Triad Electric and Controls, 2023 Inductee
• Roland Toups, Turner Industries Group, 2023 Inductee
• Art Favre, Performance Contractors, 2024 Inductee
• Steve Welch, OxyChem, 2024 Inductee 

Craft Workforce CHAMPIONS

This award is presented at the discretion of the committee to GBRIA Member Facilities, Educators, Post-secondary institutions, Individuals, or Organizations who have demonstrated special initiatives or accomplishments in craft workforce development. To nominate a GBRIA Member Facility, plants may self-nominate, receive a nomination, or will be considered for nomination upon a nomination submission for a contractor or high school. If nominating a plant for a champion award, please consider the following:

• The quality of their descriptions of contractors (i.e. the plants’ involvement in fostering craft workforce development at the site
• The number of contractors submitted for awards, both workforce and safety
• Participation of plant employees on GBRIA committees
• External information about the company’s efforts with area schools such as donations, tutoring, mentoring programs, etc.
• Participation and representation in GBRIA’s 4 major events.
• Participation in ABC’s, union, NCCER, or other cents/hour training funding programs.

To nominate an educator, post-secondary institution, individual, or organization, submit the nomination form. If nominating a champion, please consider the following:

• An accomplishment in his/her field, i.e., an educator
• Lifetime/career accomplishment
• Accomplishment of something innovative or large in scope