The Louisiana Community and Technical College System board of supervisors on Wednesday deemed Sowela Technical Community College the Center of Workforce Excellence.

The board unanimously passed the item at its monthly meeting, held at Sowela. The item will be placed on the Board of Regents agenda in December for final approval.

The board heard from industry leaders, who talked about the need for a steady workforce in Southwest Louisiana in the years to come. Representatives from Sasol, Axiall and Cheniere Energy recommended the naming to the board.

Lamar Hudson, an official with Cheniere, gave five examples of what a Center of Workforce Excellence needs to be successful. He said it should be in a highly industrialized area; have leaders who understand the importance of the two-year college system; have faculty members who are willing to listen to industry representatives’ input; be able to respond to industry needs immediately and not have to go through a long state process; and be willing to set the bar high with model programs.

“I found that everything here has been set to that higher standard,” Hudson said. “Sowela is already a model institution, and by calling it the Center of Excellence, you’re just reaffirming what they already are.”

Mike Hayes, Sasol’s public affairs manager for U.S. megaprojects, said the comprehensive approach that is outlined in this Center of Workforce Excellence is the proper response to the needs Sasol and other industries face.

Jim Rock, plant manager at Axiall, said “quality people” are found at Sowela.

“Sowela absolutely produces a quality product just like we do,” Rock said. “The success of Sowela is just vital to this big engine we got going here in Southwest Louisiana.”

Sowela Chancellor Neil Aspinwall gave a presentation on the college’s creation of an Industrial & Process Technology Center of Workforce Excellence. LCTCS schools are designated centers throughout the state.

“We focus on those strengths and try to increase capacity, instructors and equipment that can further meet the needs of business and industry in the area,” Aspinwall said. “It gives us the distinction that we are the training experts in that area — not only for Southwest Louisiana. … We want anyone who thinks about employment and training needs in that area to think about Sowela.”

House Speaker Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, and Sen. Ronnie Johns, R-Lake Charles, spoke, along with two students, about the importance of the new initiative.

Quentin Campbell began studying at Sowela in the fall of 2013 after serving eight years in the Marine Corps. He said he enrolled at Sowela because “it was time to get new skills.”

“This will change my life,” said Campbell, who majors in industrial instrumentation technology and industrial electrician. “There is a limit on work ethic. You have to have the skills to move forward.”

After spending six years in the Army, Steven Savell returned from Iraq and enrolled in the process technology fast-track program.

“I was really motivated to get skills so I can apply to the industry that is growing here in Southwest Louisiana,” Savell said.(Special to the American Press)