The accolades have been rolling in for South Louisiana Community College (SLCC) as its academic excellence continues to be recognized. Thanks to the high degree of graduate employability and an industry-oriented approach to curriculum design, SLCC was named Intelligent.com’s #1 comunity college in Louisiana. The school has also been recognized as the preferred talent source for companies in 11 industries including entertainment, oil and gas, food processing, and healthcarem.
In-Demand Majors
Employers prefer to hire students from schools that teach real-world skills and have up-to-date learning resources. SLCC takes the employability of its graduates seriously, offering majors that reflect the needs of the market. For instance, the community college has a program for application software development, a field with virtually limitless practical applications in the tech industry and beyond.
Some of SLCC’s most substantial market-oriented programs are focused on the following fields:
Aviation – SLCC has one of the most comprehensive and practical programs in aviation maintenance, allowing graduates to be highly desirable to aviation-based employers located throughout the South Louisiana region including PHI, AvEx, and Bristow Group.
Manufacturing – With large local employers such as Stuller and Noble Plastics always on the lookout for talent, SLCC prepares students to enter the workforce with as little training as possible. The college offers certifications in multiple manufacturing career tracks, including tool technology and welding.
Technology – Tech and software courses offered by SLCC are some of the most up-to-date ones in Louisiana, and the programs are a significant reason behind the technological boom in South Louisiana—leading it to be known as “The Silicon Bayou.” Tech leaders including CGI and Schoolmint are leading the charge to make the region one of the foremost technological hubs in the country.
Energy – From oil and gas to electric and renewable, SLCC has a diverse energy program portfolio, producing graduates that can serve a broad range of businesses in the energy sector. With energy powerhouses such as Frank’s International, Exxon, Chevron and many others operating in the region, it’s no surprise that SLCC has risen to meet the demand for well-educated graduates that are ready to work.
Career-Oriented Training
SLCC has established its place in the ever-growing school-to-work pipeline by offering a wide variety of market-oriented programs, addressing the needs of the region’s employers while simultaneously preparing students for industries with open positions. Such programs include culinary arts, drafting and design, industrial electronics, and practical nursing. Aside from programs that balance market-ready skills with academic literature and research, the college provides short-term workforce training in 17 fields, including medical billing and coding, welding, commercial vehicle operation, and nurse aid.
Focusing on the career potential of its students from the first day allows SLCC to produce highly employable batches of graduates year after year.
Long-Term Approach to Employability
SLCC has successfully achieved high graduate employability because of the relationship it cultivates with major employers in the area’s key industries: aviation, manufacturing, technology, energy, and more. It not only produces employable graduates for talent-seeking organizations but also incorporates the industry leaders’ feedback in its curriculum updates and certification programs. As a result, the college keeps getting better at preparing students for the workforce and providing employers with graduates that are ready-to-work.
SLCC markets how employable its graduates are, and they’ve ensured their value as an educational institution is tied to that fact, motivating the college to develop their talent pool and attract students for whom being employable right out of school is a priority. By becoming the training ground of the state’s future professionals, it also ensures that the region is nourished and that graduates don’t have to leave the area in order to find gainful employment. All of this fantastic work has led to a cycle of both the school, its graduates, and local employers reaping the benefits.
Prospective students appreciate how SLCC is in touch with the market’s needs, and employers keep returning for further recruitment; which makes it no surprise that SLCC continues to receive recognition and acclaim.