{{RELATEDLINKS}}Six years ago,
Louisiana set about
building a better
economy through
a more competitive
business climate.
Noncompetitive
business taxes were
eliminated, governmental
ethics laws were
beefed up, education
reforms were enacted,
and employers and prospects gained new economic
development tools.
Among those tools, a highly customized workforce
program emerged: LED FastStart®. Focused
on business needs, FastStart quickly convinced
companies they could rely on the Louisiana
Economic Development program for success.
“Life without FastStart becomes very challenging,”
said Kevin Mitchell, site manager for
Northrop Grumman in Lake Charles, La. “We would
not be able to meet a lot of our objectives without
those types of skills coming out of FastStart.
I could not come up with a complaint if I tried:
It was outstanding support.”
By 2010, Gov. Bobby Jindal could tout FastStart
as a rising star, as it ranked among the nation’s top
state workforce training programs. “We created
LED FastStart to give companies the confidence
they can recruit highly talented employees in
Louisiana,” Gov. Jindal said, “but also so that we
can comprehensively train those employees in a
very short period of time.”
How FastStart works
In FastStart, Louisiana assembled a permanent
team of highly skilled professionals — experts who
forge rapid solutions
for recruiting talent,
for matching recruits
to specific jobs, and
for training new and
existing employees
to meet project goals.
An extended team
of industry experts
designs, develops,
and delivers the
training in partnership
with clients, using blueprints designed by FastStart
and approved by the companies.
Eligibility covers many sectors: headquarters
and business operations, advanced and traditional
manufacturing, digital media and software
development, service industries, research and
development, warehouse and distribution —
and other sectors aligned with Louisiana’s economic
development targets. Companies must commit
to creating a net of at least 15 new permanent
manufacturing jobs or a net of at least 50 new
permanent service-related jobs.
At its core, FastStart offers companies a transformational
experience through a unique strategic
plan and highly effective solutions customized for
each client. FastStart continuously rethinks the
way training is designed and delivered, reaching
employees in different locations through real-time,
immersive instruction on iPads and other handheld
devices.
Every project focuses on company metrics, not
state-based goals. FastStart prides itself on staying
ahead of company schedules, and companies
aren’t required to file laborious paperwork:
FastStart gets to work immediately. To learn more,
visit OpportunityLouisiana.com.