Sowela surpasses completer goal, topping state average

Sowela Technical Community College is a statewide leader in helping students graduate and earn credentials.

The school has announced it has exceeded its completer goal by 24.75 percent, or 543 credentials.

The completer goal is part of the Louisiana Communit and Technical College System’s (LCTCS) benchmarks for the “Reaching Equitable Prosperity by 2030” effort, which aims to  create a more skilled and qualified workforce for the state of Louisiana and to help meet the goals of Louisiana Prospers: Driving Our Talent Imperative,” said Sowela Chanceller Neil Aspinwall in an email to The American Press.

“This Louisiana Board of Regents program is a robust new attainment goal that calls for 60 percent of all working-age adults (25 to 64) in Louisiana to hold a degree or high-value credential by 2030.”

The completer goal is measured by tracking all credentials – degrees, diplomas and industry-based certifications (IBCs) – that students earn at an institution. Sowela offers 35 programs with associates degrees, technical diplomas and certificate exit points, and about 60 IBCs. The college’s goal for the 2023-24 school year was 2,203 credentials. Sowela students earned 2,746.

This is the third consecutive year that Sowela has exceeded this goal, Aspinwall said in a release.

By meeting this goal each year, the college substatites their mission of “workforce development and provides” for students, businesses and industry and proves that Sowela is “truly a student first institution that focuses on student access and success,” he said.

This success is an indication of Sowela’s commitment to providing a much needed service to Southwest Louisiana, he told the American Press .

“With the trend of students seeking and wanting to complete skills training in a shorter period of time, the focus of this effort is to not only produce degree and diploma graduates, but to provide opportunities for students to earn industry-based certifications and credentials quicker and transition into the workforce or improve or enhance their current employment situations.”

In a release, Sowela Information Systems – Cybersecurity Operations student Phong-Linh Truong said she benefited from her access to IBCs.

“Obtaining the Network Pro certificate has helped me become a more knowledgeable tech with troubleshooting and has helped me better assist end users as a help desk technician,” she said. “Even just a dash of this knowledge goes a long way, not just for the help desk role but for my IT career.”

IBCs available at SOWELA include Adobe Certified Professional, Microsoft Certificates, NCCER, AWS certifications, Phlebotomy Technician, QuickBooks Certified User, ServSafe Food Handler or Manager, Fiber Optic Specialist or Technician, CPR and AED for Healthcare Providers, Commercial Driver’s License, Certified Surgical Technologist and Licensed Practical Nurse.