As more students opt out of traditional four-year college, one parish is teaming up with industry and community colleges to get more students jobs right out of high school.
The West Baton Rouge school system is building a new Career and Technical Education (CTE) facility in Port Allen, where students from Brusly and Port Allen High School can take classes in engineering, cosmetology, medical training, construction and more.
Students will complete internships and other work-learning programs with partner companies in the parish.
“Just look at our area, look at the industry, look at the small business,” said Mayeux. “Our business and industry are just wow. We’re gonna set up partnerships with speakers, visits to businesses, mentorship opportunities. The sky’s the limit.”
Mayeux has met with Shell, Exxon, Coca-Cola, the Greater Baton Rouge Industrial Alliance, Turner Industries, Placid Refining Company, hotels in the area and more.
“Kids will get to visit the Coke plant, hear speakers, see all the different types of jobs at Coca-Cola, for example,” Mayeux said. “With hospitality and tourism they can see careers beyond working at the front desk. It’s just exciting what I think we can expose our kids to.”
In praise of non-traditional education
Nationwide, undergraduate college enrollment dropped 8 percent from 2019 to 2022, according to the National Student Clearinghouse. Enrollment has dropped nearly 40 percent since 2010 in technical colleges.
In Louisiana, the average graduation rate from community colleges is 26%. But state leaders say the rate leaves out thousands of nontraditional students who transfer to four-year schools, earn an industry-based certificate to get or enhance a job or who start and stop their college classes because of family obligations.
Susan Schowen, vice-president of education for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, LCTCS, said work is a key factor in skewing the graduation rate.
"One of the most frequent ways that students are stepping out is because they are pulled into the workforce," .
Mayeux said that’s why these CTE courses are critical.
“The face of CTE has changed in our lifetimes and is now very much respected,” she said. “People don’t realize the amount of money you can make, and how much training you take for those careers.”
A new center for practical learning
The CTE facility broke ground in June and will open for the 2024-2025 school year. Equipment and training will be funded by a $1.3 million Reimagine grant from the Louisiana Department of Education.
Though the new building won’t be open this fall, students can still take part in career programs.
Those interested in jobs like welding, electrical, industrial mechanics can take classes on Baton Rouge Community College's westise campus. Those interested in becoming certified medical assistants can train with Our Lady of the Lake.
They can also follow an engineering pathway, from intro to engineering to principles of engineering, computer manufacturing, and finishing with engineering design.
Next year, in the new facility, the district will offer those programs as well as cosmetology, culinary, emergency medical response, construction, pipefitting and more.
“We’re building spaces for those things,” said Julie Mayeaux, supervisor of secondary education and CTE supervisor for West Baton Rouge Schools. “The whole idea behind this is we want to provide more opportunities for our students. We want both schools and all students to have access to these programs.”
The opportunities will extend outside of the classroom as well.
“We’ll be able to have a real industrial kitchen, so we will be able to eventually have a food truck or trailer, to provide options at football games, or cater events at school,” said Candice Breaux.
Aside from classes, the district plans to offer short, two or three day camps during school holidays, like Thanksgiving break.
“A lot of students don’t have a whole lot to do on those holidays,” Breaux said. “So it might be we have a medical camp for two days and they learn about the different health professions, opportunities in the area, hands-on activities, maybe take a field trip. It provides opportunities for students to learn about what they might want to take before they enroll.”
Other camp options in the works include a welding camp and a construction camp.
West Baton Rouge also plans to hold STEM competitions in the fall and spring, operated like a track meet where around 30 students from each high school will participate in more than 10 events, earning individual and team awards. Topics include coding, math, science, tower building, bridge building, e-sports and more.
“It helps build an interest in STEM,” Breaux said.
This year, the CTE classes are open to juniors and seniors, but next year the district plans to expand the options for sophomores as well. Students will be transferred to BRCC for a couple of hours a day, then brought back to their high schools for regular classes. The district expects to have between 100-150 students in the four pathways this year.
A dual-focus education
Students in West Baton Rouge essentially earn stackable credentials that they can use to get a job or to qualify them for additional training. And doing it in high school while it’s free saves them money on technical college.
Once they graduate, students can go straight into the workforce, enroll in additional training, or go on to four-year college.
“If a student wants to go get a certified medical assistant certification, which they can do through us, they can go straight to work. But at the same time, if they decide they want to be an RN, they have to go to school after,” Breaux said. “Same with construction. They can get a certificate and work, or maybe they decide they want to become a construction engineer and attend four-year college."
The program aims to provide multiple exit points that can benefit an array of students.
“If kids get the best of both worlds through our academy, that’s what we want,” Mayeux said.