07/29/2010
Louisiana FastStart Named Best State Workforce Training Program In U.S.
Leading site selection publication, Business
Facilities magazine, cites Louisiana FastStart as 'gold standard'
for workforce training solutions
BATON ROUGE, La. -- In its 2010 rankings issue, Business Facilities magazine named Louisiana
FastStart™ the nation's best state workforce training program.
Louisiana FastStart edged out other top five finishers -- Georgia,
New Mexico, Florida and North Carolina -- for the top spot.
"Louisiana has established the gold standard for workforce
training solutions with its innovative Louisiana FastStart
program," said Business Facilities
Editor-in-Chief Jack Rogers. "The availability of customized
workforce recruitment, screening and training rapidly is becoming a
requirement for success in the competition for new business.
Louisiana is far ahead of the curve with a fully integrated program
that works in partnership with higher education in a coordinated
economic development strategy that targets growth sectors."
For its 2010 Workforce Training ranking, Business Facilities considered each state's
workforce training incentives and their success in securing
projects, coordination of workforce training between economic
development organizations and higher education, and several other
factors.
"Since day one, we have made economic development and job
creation our top priority, and we have taken aggressive action to
make Louisiana the best place for businesses to invest and create
jobs for our people," said Gov. Bobby Jindal. "Louisiana FastStart
is one of the reasons why Louisiana has attracted more significant
business development projects per capita than any other Southern
state for the last two years in a row. Indeed, thanks to Louisiana
FastStart, Louisiana offers a faster, higher quality and more
comprehensive workforce solution for new and expanding companies
than any other state in the U.S. We have placed Louisiana in a
position to be first in new jobs and investment and we are not
stopping here. We will continue to build on our efforts to tell the
nation about the limitless opportunities for growth and prosperity
in our state so we can create even more jobs for our people."
Launched in 2008 as part of Gov. Jindal's comprehensive
workforce development reform plan, Louisiana FastStart was
developed to enhance Louisiana's ability to attract jobs from
business expansions and business recruitment at a faster pace than
the South on a regular basis.
Staffed with experienced industry training experts, Louisiana
FastStart provides highly customized, turnkey workforce solutions
for new or expanding facilities, including employee recruitment,
screening, training development and training delivery for both
pre-employment and post-employment phases, all at no cost to
eligible Louisiana companies (i.e., those creating at least 15 new
manufacturing jobs or 50 new, service-related jobs in an
economic-driver business). Louisiana FastStart's partners include
the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, Louisiana
Workforce Commission, selected Louisiana universities and a variety
of private-sector training experts.
Louisiana FastStart has delivered or is delivering comprehensive
workforce solutions for a wide variety of companies across
Louisiana, for example: Stupp Corp. and Baton Rouge Coca-Cola
Bottling Co. in Baton Rouge; Folgers in New Orleans; Shaw Modular
Solutions, Aeroframe Services and Northrop Grumman in Lake Charles;
Cameron Valves in Ville Platte; Globalstar in Covington; ConAgra
Foods Lamb Weston in Delhi; Dr. Reddy's Laboratories in Shreveport;
Gardner Denver Thomas in Monroe; Pixel Magic in Lafayette; Roy O.
Martin in Chopin; Barrister Global Services in Hammond; and Zagis
USA in Lacassine.
Louisiana FastStart's customers (expanding companies) have been
very pleased with the assistance they have received from the
program.
When presenting Fortune 1000 company Garner Denver's financial
results for the third quarter of 2009 to Wall Street analysts,
Gardner Denver President and CEO Barry Pennypacker said, "We were
able to accelerate the relocation of certain manufacturing cells
from Sheboygan, Wis., to Monroe, La., mainly due to the outstanding
training support provided by the state of Louisiana [via
FastStart], which has been integral to the success of this
project."
"Louisiana FastStart made tools available to us that we didn't
know existed," said Shaw Modular Solutions General Manager Carl
Douglas. "If I ever do another start-up ... I hope it's in
Louisiana."
"Louisiana FastStart has absolutely been everything we were told
it would be. Louisiana FastStart brought that unique combination to
the table of being aggressive but also being prudent ... meaning
that from our perspective, they didn't just tell us they would do
it, but did it. Louisiana FastStart was everything that was
promised and then some," said John Bowers, president of Barrister
Global Services Network Inc.
"If we were to do that ourselves, we'd be doing it for another
three years ... in all honesty. As a result, the value they bring
is that we are now able to hit the marketplace with a quality
product that hits the delivery dates we promised. It's huge. It's
putting us in a position to be the number one spiral mill producer
in North America," said Ed Scram, president and chief operating
officer of Stupp Corp.
Louisiana FastStart has differentiated itself as a premier
workforce solution provider by providing comprehensive, highly
customized solutions, and by using the latest training
methodologies and technologies to ensure that companies meet or
exceed their workforce quality and productivity targets. For
example, Louisiana FastStart is the first state workforce training
solution that is using the Apple iPad as a training platform to
deliver standard operating procedures, work instructions and
streaming video to employees within a validated quality management
system. This will allow employees to use training aids that are
portable and instantly updatable at any location within an
organization, but secured via Learning Management System or
intranet.
With expertise in several high-wage industries, such as
automotive, aviation/aerospace, medical devices, pharmaceuticals
and corporate headquarters, Louisiana FastStart also has become one
of Louisiana's top differentiators in site selection competitions
for major job-creating projects.
"In less than two years, Louisiana FastStart has gone from a
startup to becoming recognized as the best in the country. Without
a doubt, Louisiana FastStart has become a world-class workforce
solutions provider and one of the most powerful weapons in our
economic development arsenal," said Louisiana Economic Development
Secretary Stephen Moret. "I'm very proud of what Louisiana
FastStart Executive Director Jeff Lynn and his team have
accomplished in a very short period of time. Our goal with
Louisiana FastStart is to continue to execute at a world-class
level and to continue to innovate so that national business leaders
will become increasingly aware that no state can deliver a complete
workforce solution faster or better than Louisiana."
Louisiana FastStart has received positive national recognition
from a variety of publications this year. For example, in its
February/March 2010 issue, Area
Development magazine recognized Louisiana FastStart as one
of three elite workforce programs in the South (along with
Alabama's AIDT program and Georgia Quick Start). The Area Development article noted, "Other states
have attempted to model programs like Louisiana FastStart, AIDT and
Quick Start, but find it challenging if they lack expertise across
a wide range of industries, plentiful and experienced industry
advisors, a well-connected technical college system or a history of
exceeding expectations when it comes to building relationships with
industry."
"Louisiana FastStart is thrilled to be recognized as the
country's finest workforce training program," said Executive
Director Jeff Lynn. "Our experienced and business-savvy team has
set the bar high and will continue to use the latest technologies
and the most effective tools to create a trained workforce in
Louisiana that is second to none. Accordingly, Louisiana FastStart
will continue to enhance the competitiveness of expanding Louisiana
companies, as well as new companies we help recruit to
Louisiana."
The new workforce rankings are posted on the Business Facilities website, www.BusinessFacilities.com, and the full set of
rankings will be published in the magazine's July/August issue.
Business Facilities currently publishes
the only national ranking of state workforce training programs.
