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State workforce secretary urges colleges to help pull nonparticipants into the labor force
Summary
Susie Shan, Louisiana's workforce secretary, told the LCTCS board the state must raise labor-force participation and described three pillars—business workforce solutions, targeted services for nonparticipants, and education alignment—that rely on closer coordination with community colleges and local partners.
Susie Shan, secretary of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, told the LCTCS board that Louisiana’s labor-force participation rate is low compared with other states and that the commission’s priorities center on creating pathways into work.
Shan said the commission’s first priority is to serve as the quarterback for business Workforce Solutions under Act 330, ensuring employers can access trained candidates and that the state supports both entry-level and middle-skilled upskilling. Her second priority is a "one door" model to coordinate services across programs such as Medicaid, SNAP and TANF so vulnerable jobseekers are guided to training and work rather than navigating multiple agencies. The third priority is education alignment so credentials lead directly to jobs; she said the commission is working with K–12 and higher-education partners and highlighted LCTCS as a model for aligning training with employer needs.
"We just don't have enough currently unemployed people to fill the number of job openings that we have," Shan said, stressing that the system must both prepare new entrants and attract skilled workers to the state. She identified opportunities for collocating commission services on college campuses to reduce barriers and said the commission is examining state-level changes to better coordinate supports while emphasizing that local partnerships will be critical.
Board members thanked Shan and noted prior LCTCS work that complements the commission’s priorities. No formal board action was taken; the presentation served as an update and an invitation to continue collaboration.
