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LAPLACE — More than a year after Hurricane Ida destroyed local offices, the Louisiana Workforce Commission has resumed face-to-face interaction with renovated brick and mortar locations and a new brand identity uniting the River Region.

A grand opening for the new St. John Parish location will be held at 2 p.m. March 16 at 1708 Chantilly Drive in LaPlace. The revamped St. Charles Parish office will celebrate its grand opening at 2 p.m. March 23 at 737 Paul Maillard Road Suite 1A in Luling.

Both offices are already up and running, offering an array of services for job-seekers and local businesses.

St. John the Baptist, St. James and St. Charles parishes comprise the Louisiana Workforce Development Board #14. The LaPlace office was previously located on Airline Highway behind the Donut Hole but sustained significant damage when the roof flew off and water poured in. The Luling office was also devastated, while the smaller St. James Parish office survived the storm unscathed.

Now that in-person services are once again available across the three parishes, director Tommy Scott said the next step is familiarizing the community with the new brand identity “Let’s Work! River Parishes.”

“We want people to know that we are open, ready and able to help anyone, anyway that we can. It’s the same great services the Workforce Commission has always offered in a new package,” Scott said. “The Louisiana Workforce Commission is standard throughout the state, but every parish has a specific office. We are branding ourselves specific to the River Parishes with a new logo because we want people to be familiar with us at recruiting events.”

Scott is especially excited to welcome the community to the new LaPlace office, which is much larger than the previous St. John Parish location.

“It’s two suites featuring a business side and a job seeker side,” Scott said. “Businesses are also welcome to come and use our space for recruiting efforts. We have a conference room, and we even have individual offices that they can break off into to interview potential applicants.”

Other services offered on the business side include recruiting assistance and pre-screening of applicants. Let’s Work! River Parishes can accept applications on behalf of a business. According to Scott, there are also programs where the Workforce Commission can provide funding to pay a portion, or in some cases, all of a new employee’s salary for a limited time.

On the job seeker side, Let’s Work! River Parishes assists with resume preparation, job search, occupational skills training, supportive services, alternative secondary school offers, and opportunities for tuition reimbursement.

Additional resources, including information on career training, can be found online at letsworkriverparishes.com.