Chamber discusses concerns with Coreil Campus

Concerns about South Louisiana Community College’s Coreil Campus just north of Ville Platte dominated the monthly Chamber of Commerce meeting on Monday, January 27.
Chamber Executive Director Camille Fontenot, a former employee at the technical college, reported that within hours of her recent discussion with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal about her concerns, state officials -- including the governor -- called her back to find out more about those concerns. The governor met with members of the Evangeline Parish Police Jury to report funding of generators for the parish.
“I’m afraid we are going to lose,” the school, she said during the meeting, adding that the school “had come close to closing” in the past, until local government and industrial leaders resisted. She said two business teachers had left the school, leaving only one business teacher there. “There’s something there that’s not going well,” she said.
Later during the meeting, Fontenot and chamber board members discussed writing a letter or series of letters to state officials, signed by local officials and business and industry officials in the parish, about their concerns about he future of Coreil Campus.
Fontenot said a letter to key state officials might be more effective at this time because there are discussions in the governor’s office about the need to put more funding into the state’s educational programs.
Ville Platte Mayor Jennifer Vidrine, a member of the chamber board, urged other board members to “take action now,” on drafting and sending letters.
The guest speaker during this month’s chamber meeting was Michael Morris, director of Acadiana Works, which serves a seven-parish area including Evangeline Parish, based in Lafayette. He said the 26 staff members at Acadiana Works served 45,000 clients last year.
Morris said “there is nothing more important” to the economic development in rural areas such as Evangeline Parish as tech schools such as the Coreil Campus.
He said he and his staff see that personally as they screen new clients, refer clients to appropriate schools, get their clients’ resumes online and work with prospective employers to place those clients in jobs.
Morris said new industrial plants are expected to be constructed in Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, and other areas of south Louisiana, and those developments will “spill over to Acadiana Works’ area,” as they seek employees that are properly qualified.
The Acadiana Works director said the organization is looking at new ways it can enhance the area’s workforce, and a major new effort is getting disabled people to prepare for -- and get -- employment.