By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — A month-long workforce development initiative by the Terrebonne Parish Economic Development Authority is under way in Louisiana and Mississippi. The goal is to recruit workers to fill approximately 820 vacant skilled labor positions for nearly 40 Terrebonne Parish employers.
Stephen Vassallo, chief executive officer of TEDA, said the available positions will offer an excellent quality of life in a wide range of skill sets.
“These jobs are all over the board ranging from $10 per hour to $70,000-plus annual salaries. You name it, we have it: welding, pipefitters, machinists, accountants, general laborers, culinary arts, managers, marine skilled off-shore positions, equipment operators, foremen, craftsmen for shipbuilding and repair, electricians, AC technicians and a host of others,” said Vassallo. “We can offer potential employees career opportunities with great companies, established firms with bright futures. Houma and Terrebonne Parish have a superior quality of life index.”
According to Vassallo, TEDA came up with the idea for the recruitment tour after visiting major employers throughout the parish and seeing their urgent hiring needs. The tour will include 30 agencies and academic institutions based in 26 cities. Louisiana stops include a River Parishes stop in Luling as well as stops in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Chalmette, Sorrento, Hammond, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Covington, Jefferson, Opelousas, Deridder, Natchitoches, Alexandria, Shreveport, Monroe, Mansfield, Jonesville, Bossier City and Ruston.
“Only a few of the visits will actually be job fairs, as in the case of the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg on the 27th. Most of our visits to the 26 cities will consist of meetings with educators, workforce development officials and the media,” he said.
Officials in each region will receive a workforce development book detailing many of the featured employment opportunities currently available within Terrebonne Parish.
“The upside to this initiative is tremendous. Without the help and direct involvement of the South Louisiana Economic Council and South Central Planning, TEDA would have had an impossible task attempting to schedule all of these cities in one month,” said Vassallo.
Vassallo has already visited three Mississippi locations. He has divided the tour into thirds, with himself taking Mississippi and Eastern Louisiana, and Cullen Curole, economic development administrator for the South Central Planning and Development Commission, and Vic Lafont, president and chief executive officer of the SLEC, taking other Louisiana regions.
Vassallo has urged Terrebonne Parish employers to pay special attention to the pool of labor populated by National Guard and Reserve service members, each of whom offers unique skills, talents and experience. Vassallo would like for anyone seeking more information about tour scheduling to contact him at 985-852-7745 or email him at sovassallo@gmail.com.
For additional information about TEDA, call 985-873-6890 or 985-852-7745 or go to tpeda.org.