RESERVE — There may be no better place in the River Region to take control of your career and empower your options than the Reserve Campus of South Central Louisiana Technical College.

To celebrate that distinction and further build educational and workforce training opportunity awareness, the college campus will soon be the site of a full-on country rock concert.

The “CMT Empowering Education Tour of Louisiana” featuring headliner and Louisiana-born Courtney Cole is pulling in for a free concert March 14 in the Media Center of the new building on the Airline Highway campus.

Log onto scl.edu or either of the college’s Facebook pages for free ticket information.

The event includes an industry showcase breaking down local educational and career opportunities from 4 to 6 p.m., with the concert venue opening at 6 p.m. and the concert running from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The drawing of 10 $500 scholarships open to potential Reserve college students highlights the event’s community impact.

A college graduate herself, Cole told L’OBSERVATEUR her decision to attend Belmont University in Nashville was crucial to her success.

“I studied classical music, but also pop, jazz and country styles,” Cole said of the school’s commercial music program. “I was able to also have an emphasis in music business. Belmont is great because it is in the heart of Nashville at the tip of Music Row, which is where all the record labels and publishing companies are.”

Cole used her talent, intelligence and drive to secure career opportunities in the music industry while honing her skills as a singer and songwriter in and around Nashville.

“Because of Belmont, I was able to have an internship, which led me to get a job at a record label/publishing company, where they ended up signing me to my first publishing deal,” Cole said. “I’m really grateful for that.”

Dubbed one of CMT’s “Next Women of Country,” Cole recently moved to Los Angeles to continue her music career, documenting the process in a self-produced documentary, titled “Rockumentary.”

Spotify and Huffington Post have named Cole one-to-watch. Her EP “For The Love Of Me” is available on digital retailers and she has opened for artists Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney and Thomas Rhett.

Her music is also available at courtneycolemusic.com and through an active social media presence.

According to the Louisiana Workforce Commission, Louisiana has an unprecedented demand for skilled workers, positions that require training or education beyond a high school diploma.

This is especially true in the River Parishes and accompanying petrochemical plants.

CMT, Louisiana Workforce and Louisiana Calling committed to work alongside community and technical colleges to connect Louisianans with the many available opportunities for workforce training and education in their own communities.

Next month’s Reserve concert is a prime example.

“It’s going to be a fun show,” Cole said. “It’s going to have its light-hearted moments and also going to have its heartfelt moments.

“I’m really excited to share some of my old music that I have had for years, and I’m also going to bring out some of my new songs that I have been writing on the docu-series. I’m just excited to share some of my new stuff.”