Tommy Scott said he routinely sits at the table with representatives from a lot of industries in the surrounding River Parishes and hears about the many ongoing expansions.

Scott, director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission for the River Parishes, said the demand for skilled employees is perpetually growing.

“We just take the onus at the Workforce Commission preparing individuals here,” he told L’OBSERVATEUR recently.

“We want to assure the individuals that do reside in this area that they can live, work and provide a sustainable quality of life in the River Parishes.”

It’s a message community members are not taking full advantage of, prompting River Region Chamber of Commerce leaders to increase their effort with a focus on workforce development.

Gone is the Chamber’s defunct education committee. In its place is the revamped and newly titled Workforce Development Committee, Chamber Chairwoman Annette Wray said.

“Our education committee served as a focus on engaging business with education, including our public school systems,” she said.

“This focus still exists. However, with the name change comes a more narrow focus — a better defined one — on how business can truly engage with our education systems, government systems and, more importantly, our business members to help improve opportunities within our communities.”

Job opportunities are visible, but pre-training skills, specifically interview and soft skill development, is lacking for some local job seekers.

Plus, Wray said workforce-training programs lack a unifying structure and are underutilized.

Chamber leaders are attempting to pull together all River Region efforts (colleges, churches, school districts, nonprofits, etc.) that offer job and interview training.

Chamber members want to establish a one-stop shop. Job seekers could then contact the Chamber, learn what employment opportunities are available, what is required to apply for the job and how that training is available locally.

It’s a worthwhile effort for our community, which is failing to maximize all of our career opportunities.