Recent Education Hearing Explores Student Pipeline to Meet Louisiana’s Workforce Needs

On October 8, 2025, Louisiana’s House Education Committee held a hearing at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans to learn more about pathways to health care professions and how to better meet the state’s growing need for health care workers—particularly through the pipeline high school and college students transitioning to post-secondary education and careers. The discussion quickly turned to workforce development and career preparation in general, revealing that while strong work is underway to meet employers’ and the State’s economic needs, students and recent high school graduates need more opportunities to explore careers, train in high-demand fields, and enter upwardly mobile careers where they can learn a living wage, continue learning, and advance to achieve self-sufficiency while benefitting Louisiana’s economy.

LA Works (previously known as the Louisiana Workforce Commission) identifies high-demand, high-wage occupations through its Star Jobs rating system. The agency produces 10-year forecasts for industry and occupational employment every two years and combines them with job openings and wage data to identify those with the most opportunity—5-stars being the highest. (See page 30 and the highest rated jobs that follow.)

Most of the highly rated jobs require education beyond high school. Some require a bachelor’s degree, while others only require a certificate or associate’s degree. The Committee acknowledged multiple paths to attaining the highest rated jobs, which may involve students enrolling in a bachelor degree program or pursuing a shorter-term credential such as a technical diploma or an associate degree and then continuing their education—and moving up the career ladder—while working and earning a living.

LA Works routinely counsels state education partners on where jobs are available and growing, which jobs pay a living wage and have upward mobility, and how to collaborate with employers to address their needs. Other state and local presenters, including the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE), highlighted several supportive policies, programs, and initiatives, but also identified gaps and struggles to connect students to meaningful career opportunities.

For example, over the past decade, Louisiana has offered high schools and students the choice of two diplomas—the TOPS University Diploma for university-bound students and the Jump Start TOPS Tech Diploma, which mandates nine career and technical education credits and an industry-based credential like Certified Medical Assistant or Welder. Public high schools are required to offer students courses and training, often called pathways, toward each type of diploma and receive extra state and federal funding to support such offerings. Funding is provided through the state’s Minimum Foundation Program funding formula (Career and Technical Education weighted funding, Career Development Funds, and Supplemental Course Allocation/Course Choice); the federal Carl D. Perkins program; TOPS Tech Early Start scholarship; and state allocations for registered apprenticeships and work-based learning internships.

The LDOE and its board, the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), have outlined several high school to career pathways for students wishing to immediately transition to work after graduation. Not only do these pathways allow students to begin working; they allow them to continue their education and training, advancing into higher tiers within their profession that increase financial support for their families and meet Louisiana’s greatest workforce and economic development needs.

Convincing schools and students’ families to take advantage of career training while in high schools continues to be a significant challenge. Data provided by the LDOE shows that 73% of public high school students are pursuing a traditional university-prep diploma versus only 27% pursuing a career diploma that embeds career training and work-based learning into the high school experience. Some school systems, like St. Helena, Orleans, and East Baton Rouge, offer no or very few opportunities for students to pursue a career diploma, still preparing nearly all of their graduates to enter a four-year bachelor’s degree program—which many worry isn’t realistic because many never enroll in college and then lack the skills to get a job that pays a living wage. Others like Tensas, Sabine, Evangeline, and Caldwell, have recognized the value of equipping more than half their graduates with the skills to immediately transition to jobs.

The LDOE concluded its presentation by recommending that school systems more closely align course/pathway offerings with state and regional workforce projections, particularly in the area of health care where jobs remain in high demand. This may require a shift in the above percentages of students pursuing a university-prep versus a career diploma, which will necessitate strengthened partnerships with local employers and post-secondary institutions, more career awareness in the early grades for both students and their families, and embedding stackable credentials so students can move from entry-level roles to advanced careers that will bring opportunity to them and our state.