LCTCS board approves negotiation of agreement with Hyundai Steel and seed funding to stand up Donaldsonville training center

Chair Hardy and system leaders outlined a plan to stand up a regional workforce pipeline tied to Hyundai Steel’s announced Louisiana investment. The board authorized the chair and system president to negotiate a cooperative endeavor agreement with Hyundai Steel, the LCTCS Facilities Corporation and Louisiana Economic Development, and approved up to $4 million in seed funding (River Parishes Community College $1 million and $3 million from the board office) to begin engineering, architectural and training work for a Donaldsonville training center.

Why it matters: Chancellor Taylor told the board the Hyundai project will be large and time‑sensitive and that the system must prepare enough trained workers locally. He described the broader economic opportunity as a “5.5 billion dollar lowcarbon steel facility” with “1,452 permanent full‑time jobs of an average salary of $95,000 a year,” and said the LCTCS training center would be a 65,000‑square‑foot facility on roughly 12 acres (the college would need about 1.5–2 acres to build). The board was told the proposed center would be managed through the LCTCS Facilities Corporation and that the $4 million in advanced funding would be reimbursed from project proceeds.

What the board approved: The motion authorized negotiation of the CEA and approved seed funding to allow design and training commitments to begin before capital outlay funds become available (capital outlay dollars are typically available July 1). Board staff said front‑loading approximately three months of design work would effectively buy several months in the overall project schedule. The motion was moved and carried with no recorded objections.

Details and next steps: Chancellor Taylor and college leaders described a regional training plan across multiple LCTCS colleges to deliver the volumes of operator/technician and associate‑degree skilled workers Hyundai stated it needs. System staff reported an intended timeline of design work beginning immediately, ground breaking on the training center targeted for January 2026, construction completion in 2027, and Hyundai plant operations ramping in 2029; staff emphasized some training content will be proprietary and require company collaboration. Board staff said the seed funding will be reimbursed from the project and that the cooperative agreement will include training commitments and roles for the parties.

Attribution: Chancellor Taylor led the presentation of the workforce and facility plan; board staff and legal/finance presenters outlined the recommended cooperative agreement and seed funding structure. Quotes and factual claims in this article are drawn from the board meeting presentation and the staff recommendation as recorded in the meeting transcript.

Closing: With authorization to negotiate the agreement and the seed funding approved, staff and college leaders proceed to finalize technical and contractual details with Hyundai and state partners and begin the design and training planning phases.