The Committee of 100 for Economic Development and the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry are partnering to host their first-ever Apprenticeship Summit in Baton Rouge.
The summit, which will take place at the LABI Center for Free Enterprise on Main Street from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 6, is aimed at giving businesses a “how-to” guide on how to best implement apprenticeship and internship programs.
To that end, attendees will hear from local business leaders, Louisiana Department of Education officials and national experts about how to build successful apprenticeship programs and how doing so constitutes an investment in the future of Louisiana’s workforce.
Panelists include Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley; Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education President Ronnie Morris; and Louisiana Workforce Commission Secretary Susana Schowen. See the full agenda here.
C100 CEO Adam Knapp tells Daily Report that this is the first time his organization has partnered with LABI on an event of this ilk and that the mission of the summit aligns with the goals of both organizations.
“We see a great opportunity for more businesses across the state to give more high school kids a path to real work experiences while still in high school—especially the thousands of Louisianans who may not be headed to post-secondary degrees,” Knapp says.
Tickets to C100 and LABI’s Apprenticeship Summit are free. Reserve your spot here.
The summit is part of a larger move by members of Louisiana’s business community and state officials to boost workforce readiness through education reform.
Earlier this year, BESE approved a new accountability system for Louisiana school districts that, among other changes, places an increased emphasis on work-based learning experiences. BESE has stated that work-based learning will play an increasingly important role in the state’s workforce development strategy going forward.
