News | February 2017

Many are still searching for jobs following the historic downturn of the oil and gas industry and the Lafayette Economic Development Authority, One Acadiana and other groups are working to assist those displaced workers find their next job.

Hundreds showed up to the second annual  industrial trades career fair at the Cajundome Convention Center.

In attendance were more than 15 companies with openings across the Acadiana Region.

Job hopefuls had an opportunity to meet with prospective employers this morning at the second Industrial Trades Career Fair. 

The event was held at the Cajundome, and included employers from Lake Charles to Lafayette meeting with hopefuls in the energy, construction and manufacturing fields. 

Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA), LED FastStart®, Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC), One Acadiana (1A), and local partners worked together on the event.

Some 750 job seekers passed through the second annual Industrial Trades Career Fair at the Cajundome on Wednesday, many of them laid off from oil and gas jobs and seeking a new toehold in Louisiana's workforce.

Mike Boudo of Lafayette, with 40 years of welding experience, was one. Boudo said he has been laid off for two years; his eyes scanned the 19 company booths and four service tables set up for the morning-long event.

Were there jobs to be had?

"I've heard that," Boudo said. "But I'm not sure."

561-acre site is the largest in the region

Lacassine, LA – Today, One Acadiana (1A) in conjunction with the Jeff Davis Economic Development, announced that two sites totaling 704 acres have been certified under the Louisiana Economic Development (LED) Certified Sites program. T.O. Allen Industrial Park North (561 acres) and T.O. Allen Industrial Park South (142 acres) are the first LED Certified Sites to complete the rigorous qualification process and obtain development-ready status in Jeff Davis Parish.

U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Port Barre, revealed details Tuesday of his seven weeks in Congress to an Acadiana regional chamber of commerce gathering — work that ranges from the lofty, driving goal of reviving constitutional government in Washington, D.C., to the painstaking, bureaucratic task of opening district offices.

It’s no secret that this region of the state has some of the most beautiful and bountiful areas of southern Louisiana. Those of you who live here are fortunate to call it home. There are hundreds of historic landmarks, thriving and diverse communities and growing economies. An investment in your future is an investment in the state’s future.

The Academy of Information Technology at Carencro High was recently awarded 114 Samsung Galaxy tablets through a grant from the National Academy Foundation and corporate partner JP Morgan Chase Foundation.

“It’s exciting for our students to have the opportunity to use these devices outside of the classroom through collaboration activities with our local business partners, and to bring to life the core concepts they learn in class,” Academy Director Claire Trouard said in a news release.

Next week's second annual Industrial Trades Career Fair will try to match available jobs with an Acadiana workforce hard pressed by a lingering downturn in oil and gas prices.

The Lafayette Economic Development Authority, Louisiana Economic Development, Louisiana Workforce Commission and One Acadiana will present the four-hour event at 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Cajundome Convention Center.

Community partners from Lake Charles to Lafayette are working together to address workforce needs in south Louisiana following job reductions by energy, construction and manufacturing companies in the region. The second Industrial Trades Career Fair will be held on Wednesday, February 22. 

Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA), LED FastStart®, Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) and One Acadiana will host the event at the Cajundome Convention Center, 444 Cajundome Blvd in Lafayette, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Results of a poll commissioned by One Acadiana and Connect Lafayette, a coalition of local groups and governments that support "thoughtful design" for the Interstate 49 Connector, suggest Lafayette Parish voters support completion of the interstate through the city, according to a news release from Connect Lafayette.