Maritime and Industrial Training Program Awarded $894,533 Workforce Training Grant

December 12, 2018

The Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) has awarded Delgado Community College an $894,533 grant for its Maritime and Industrial Training program from the Workforce Training Rapid Response Fund.

This funding is provided by the Louisiana State Legislature to assist individuals in their ability to function in the workplace, including support for educational programs designed to assist citizens with improving their employment opportunities.

The award will help Delgado offer discounted training for over 20 courses at all levels of maritime careers. These courses are designed to take a student from the start of their career as deckhands and gain the training they need to add the skills and endorsements to progress through the different levels on the vessel to become a member of the wheelhouse or engine room crew.

The grant to Delgado will be used to support vessel engineering, tankerman and steersman classes, and two new programs that will debut in 2019. The program will begin offering deckhand training classes on a new training pad as well as building a new simulator for dynamic positioning system assessments.

The Delgado Maritime and Industrial Training program is currently seeking designation as a Domestic Maritime Center of Excellence. Recent legislation authorizes federal designation of community and technical college "centers of excellence" to address a shortage of workers in the nation's maritime workforce and support continuous training in the industry.

The designation would help the Delgado center admit more students, train faculty, expand facilities and create new maritime career avenues from certificate to associate degree to baccalaureate degree programs--awarding credit for prior learning experience, including military service.

The Delgado Community College Maritime and Industrial Training Center in New Orleans has earned a national and international reputation for providing high-quality maritime and industrial firefighting, radar, safety and U.S. Coast Guard-approved training including full mission bridge simulator courses. For over two decades, Delgado’s experienced instructors have helped provide training to licensed mariners and industry personnel in the maritime, oil and gas, and safety/homeland security fields, among others. Courses are tailored to meet the specific needs of industrial clients. Information about the services provided by the Delgado Maritime and Industrial Training Center is available here.

Delgado Community College will celebrate 100 years of service to the New Orleans region in 2021. The oldest and largest community college in Louisiana, Delgado provides instruction online and at seven locations. Fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Delgado offers students the most comprehensive array of education and training services available in the 10-parish New Orleans region. Additionally, Delgado has articulation agreements with most of the state’s four-year colleges and universities that allow students to smoothly transfer their Delgado credits to bachelor’s degree programs. As well as offering degrees and transferable college credits, Delgado provides diplomas and certificates in many professional and technical areas. Workforce development is a priority at Delgado, hence the college’s motto: “Education That Works.” www.dcc.edu