Workforce Readiness Seminars and Workforce Scholarships

Under the umbrella of the Workforce Training Scholarship Program, the Foundation offers Workforce Readiness Training Seminars and Workforce Scholarships. The Program was established with funding from Sasol, and over time is now supported by Shell and numerous generous individual donors. The Program provides a holistic approach to workforce training and job readiness. First, the program provides Workforce Readiness Seminars, which are designed to help people develop professional skills for landing and keeping jobs. The seminars teach professional skills in five areas, including networking, resume-writing and interviewing. Second, the program provides Workforce Scholarships which cover tuition for short term training programs for individuals who want to pursue a career in industry in Southwest Louisiana. Depending on individual needs, the scholarship can also cover support from a designated career counselor, guidance from a trained mentor and connection to community resources. Through the holistic approach of funding, training, coaching and support, the Workforce Training Scholarship Program helps to ensure long-term success for its participants.

Workforce Scholarships

The Workforce Training Scholarship Program provides financial support for people pursuing industry careers in Southwest Louisiana. The program is an outgrowth of the Southwest Louisiana Workforce Resource Guide, which is a six-step process developed by Sasol that helps people choose a career, acquire training, certifications and basic life skills, prepare a resume and ultimately land a job.

Following a pilot scholarship program of 50 students in 2015, scholarships for training in welding, millwrights, pipefitting, and more have been awarded to over 270 people in Southwest Louisiana. This diverse group of students comes from a variety of backgrounds and has a common goal to increase their skills and employment opportunities. Since the pilot program, the program has an 85% completion rate for students seeking a certification in a field that will support their work in area industry.