With just five years to reach its goal, One Acadiana’s 55 by 25 initiative making progress

With one year down and only five to go, One Acadiana’s goal of getting 55% of Acadiana adults to earn a postsecondary degree or certification is making slow, but steady progress, One Acadiana officials reported Friday.

Across the nine-parish region, the 55 by 25 initiative has seen growth and collaboration, growing from 100 to 160 participating businesses in the first year. However, there is still a ways to go over the next five years for Acadiana to reach One Acadiana’s lofty goal, said Natalie Harder, chancellor at South Louisiana Community College.

“We all recognize across Acadiana that we have got to fix this issue. We’ve got to address this crisis,” Harder said. “Our individual organizations and companies and us individually can’t do this alone. We have got to stick together and stay focused.”

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