JENNINGS — High school students will soon have options that can lead them to the path of high-paying jobs or continuing their education beyond high school.

The initiative is part of the state’s new Jump Start program to provide career courses and workplace experiences to high school students, according to Curriculum Supervisor Beth Compton.

Compton met Tuesday with nearly two dozen Jeff Davis Parish high school counselors, principals and teachers to discuss plans for the program.

“Jump Start is a state initiative to customize academic and career pathways to what is best for students in the local area,” she said.

One in four high school students statewide fails to graduate, and only 28 percent obtain a two-year or four-year degree, she said. “The majority of jobs in Louisiana do not require a degree, but require basic academic and technical skills,” she said.

Under the proposal, freshmen and sophomores would take common courses, while juniors and seniors would follow a sequence of career courses, workplace experience and industry credentials.

The program will offer opportunities for students to receive credentials in a wide field of careers, including construction, agriculture, health care, manufacturing, welding and hospitality.

“I think it is one of the best places I have ever heard, and I have been teaching for 17 years,” Lake Arthur High School agriscience teacher Robert Price said. “I can see the tide turn, and students are beginning to realize the opportunities that are in front of them.”

However, for the program to be successful, Price said more parent involvement is needed.

“The options for real jobs are there and available,” he said. “We need to change the mindset and the stigma and realize that there are other options and opportunities in life.”

Kelly Billeaudeaux, a teacher at West End Instructional Center, said Jump Start is a great opportunity for students to receive the technical skills they need to land high-wage, high-demand jobs. “It can open up more doors and avenues for them,” she said.

Jeff Davis School Superintendent Brian Lejeune said Jump Start will provide more opportunities for students by giving them what they need. But, he said, it will probably be one of the greatest challenges school systems have had to face.

“For years now it has been college, college, college, but not everybody wants or needs to go to college,” Lejeune said. “There are a lot of options now, and we have students that want a career.

“Parents need to understand it is changing and there’s a lot of opportunities for students to receive training and certification to be in a career that they will be very successful at and make a lot of money,” he said.

With more than $77 billion in jobs and improvements expected in Southwest Louisiana in the next 10 years, the opportunities are there to expand the local workforce, he said.

“The workforce is needed, and our students have a chance to fill those jobs,” Lejeune said. “We need to see that they are trained, ready and have what employers are looking for. We need to make it happen, and we need to make it happen right.”

Jennings High School Principal Ben Oustalet said students will also have opportunities with the new $10 million Sowela campus next to Jennings High. “I see it as a very positive thing for us,” he said.

Oustalet said he needed to gain more knowledge about the program so that he can start educating parents.(MGNonline)