Author: Nicol Blanchard
CAPITAL ONE DONATES TO THE FLETCHER FOUNDATION FOR SCIA WORK IT! LOUISIANA PROGRAM
SCHRIEVER, LA – Capital One donates $25,000 to Fletcher Foundation for South Central Industrial Association (SCIA) Work It! Louisiana program. This investment will assist in funding Work It! Louisiana activities such as “Females Fueling Our Workforce.” On October 11 and 12, 2017, Work It! Louisiana hosted its annual “Females Fueling Our Workforce” event at BP Houma Operation Learning Center in Schriever, Louisiana. This event had 1,145 young ladies from the local public and private high schools. The focus of this event is to motivate the young ladies to overcome barriers, avoid stereotyping, and pursue a career in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The young ladies listened to several women from various industries who have accomplished so much in their career. This event is one of the many activities Work It! Louisiana program does annually. Without Capital One donation, Work It! Louisiana program would not be able to offer activities like the Females Fueling Our Workforce.
About South Central Industrial Association Work It! Louisiana Program:
Work It! Louisiana was established following an industry survey administered by Nicholls State University (NSU) for SCIA in 2005, prior to Hurricane Katrina. The SCIA survey was used by the LSU Research Center to establish employment needs following Katrina. The survey determined that in order to secure a viable workforce for the region, youth development was the number one long-term resource. The survey also divulged the importance of the technical education system and job training, which was not being promoted by the secondary school systems to the students.
SCIA is a 501(c) (6), therefore, the Fletcher Foundation, a 501(c) (3) organization, serves as the fiscal agent for Work It! Louisiana. SCIA has a cooperative endeavor agreement with the foundation. The Fletcher Foundation is composed of fourteen business people from the bayou region. The Fletcher Foundation mission is to foster private financial resources for the college in order to increase student’s overall educational experience and to allow the college to respond effectively to workforce development and industry needs.
Work It! Louisiana is a division of the SCIA workforce development committee. The program is designed to work closely with the local public postsecondary institutions within in region, as well as the local secondary education systems concentrating on grades 6 through 12. The program is being implemented for 12 years within the public school systems that support all populations, regardless of status. Work It! Louisiana brings to the students greater awareness that may not normally be offered to them under their normal environment.