GBRIA recognizes outstanding craft workforce development training programs

GBRIA recognizes outstanding craft workforce development training programs for high schools, post-secondary institutions and contractors

BATON ROUGE, La., Aug. 23, 2024 – The Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance, Inc. (GBRIA) is pleased to announce the awards recipients presented at 17th Annual Craft Workforce Development Awards Banquet held on August 21, at the Renaissance Hotel in Baton Rouge. High schools, post-secondary institutions and skilled craft contracting companies received awards for their craft training and workforce development programs. Approximately 400 guests attended the event.

“We recognize the dedication of high school and post-secondary educators to inspire and train students to enter the workforce, as well as the contractors who create workforce development programs. Each of these organizations plays a vital role in the ongoing efforts to attract, assess, train, develop and retain a vibrant industrial workforce,” said Connie Fabre, GBRIA’s President and CEO.

The following companies are GBRIA’s 2024 Craft Workforce Development Award recipients in their respective work categories and divisions sizes: 

High Schools

Local contract firms and industrial plants nominated high schools whose career and technical education (CTE) programs were exemplary in how they engaged with parents, raised funding and support to reinforce training, shared student success stories and how they shared what the CTE programs mean to their school, community and students.

Award of Recognition: Brusly/WBR Career Academy

Award of Merit: Joseph A. Cuillier Career Center, Northeast High School, False River Academy, French Settlement High School, Zachary High School, and East Ascension High School

Award of Excellence: East Baton Rouge Career and Technical Education Center, Live Oak High School, West Feliciana High School, Walker High School, and St. Amant High School

Post-Secondary Institutions

Post-secondary institutions submitted a recorded presentation covering the following areas: partnering with employers on training, student job placements, recognizing student achievements, measuring success, and how they bring real world experience and noteworthy advancements into their curriculums and classrooms.

Technical Education

Excellence: ABC Pelican, Baton Rouge Community College, and River Parishes Community College

Continuing Education

Excellence: Alliance Safety Council

Merit: LSU Continuing & Digital Education

Contracting Companies

Contractor nominees recorded presentations giving a detailed picture of their recruitment activities to reach the next generation of craft professionals, including assessments for existing skillsets of individuals entering the workforce, promoting further training to develop employees, retention activities to keep employees engaged and progressing, and how they measured their success.

Companies were divided into divisions dependent on company size and total company hours worked.

General Construction and Maintenance

Excellence: Excel and Performance Contractors

Merit: Cajun Industries, CAM Industrial Solutions, Brown and Root, and Turner Industries Group

Hard Craft

Excellence: Triad Electric and Controls and ISC

Merit: Westgate and MMR

Specialty Trade

Excellence: Pala and Turner Specialty Services

Merit: Precision Inspection Services and Brock

Recognition: Deep South Crane and Rigging, BrandSafeway, and Total Safety

Hall of Fame Awards

GBRIA also awarded two Craft Workforce Development Hall of Fame Awards to two individuals who have demonstrated a lifetime of achievement that has impacted generations of students and improved Louisiana’s Craft Workforce Development educational efforts.

Art Favre, owner and Chairman of the Board of Performance Contractors, Inc. headquartered in Baton Rouge, LA

Steve Welch, Plant Manager at OxyChem in Convent, LA

Nominating Groups

The following plants and contractors participated in the nominating process:

BASF, Brown and Root, Cajun Industries, CAM Industrial Solutions, CF Industries, Cornerstone Chemical Company, LLC, Dow Louisiana Operations, Evergreen, ExxonMobil, Formosa Plastics, ISC Constructors, LLC, Koura, Lion Elastomers, Marathon Petroleum Company, Methanex, Orbia/Koura, PBF Energy, LLC, Performance Contractors, Rubicon, Shell, Shintech Louisiana, TRIAD Electric & Controls, Turner Industries Group, LLC, Turner Specialty Services, LLC, Westlake Chemical, WR Grace

More information on the awards process is available at https://www.gbria.org/craft-workforce-development-awards.

Photos from the event are available at https://link.shutterfly.com/BcXn5eGOiMb.