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Community and technical colleges point to workforce gains: LCTCS reports historic graduate numbers and calls for continued support
Summary
Leaders of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System told the House Education Committee the system produced a record number of graduates this year, is focusing on short‑term workforce credentials and adult learners, and asked lawmakers to support programmatic stability amid tight finances.
Monique Sullivan, president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS), and Tim Hardy, chair of the LCTCS Board of Supervisors, told the House Education Committee that community and technical colleges are central to meeting Louisiana’s workforce needs and lifting adults into sustained employment.
Sullivan said the system graduated a record number of students this year — roughly 35,000 — and that two‑year colleges accounted for about 64% of the state's attainment growth. "This year, 35,000 graduates walked across the stage at one of our community and technical colleges," she said, and described the colleges’ mix of students: many adult learners, women who carry significant family responsibilities, and students with intermittent life crises who need wraparound services to remain enrolled.
LCTCS leaders emphasized short‑term technical credentials and health‑care programs as primary drivers of recent growth: health care graduates rose from about 4,000 in 2020 to 8,000 in 2024. Sullivan credited a $25 million legislative investment that lowered hospitals’ risk and helped expand clinical capacity and training.
Hardy and Sullivan outlined a recruitment approach focused on employers and local community events rather than the traditional high‑school funnel because many adult students apply close to the start of terms. Sullivan said the average community‑college student is older (average age cited in testimony) and often balances work and family, which requires different outreach and wraparound services.
Lawmakers asked how community colleges connect to employer hiring needs and how to grow program capacity in places with workforce demand, such as welding and advanced manufacturing. LCTCS leaders said they have carved out funds for workforce training and are seeking ways to scale programs in partnership with industry and local school systems.
The system urged lawmakers to consider program stability and predictable funding to avoid destabilizing institutions that serve communities across the state.
