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Workforce Development Awards Overview
The Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance, Inc. (GBRIA) Workforce Development Awards acts as both an awards and benchmarking program. This program was developed in 2007 through a joint effort of GBRIA’s Contractor Workforce Development Committee, Board of Directors, and local contractors. The program has been designed to promote best practices to improve the skills and retention of craft personnel in the region and to recognize and reward contractors, member plants, schools, educators, and other individuals who contribute to recruitment, assessment, training, career path education, and retention efforts. These awards support one of GBRIA’s strategic objectives to ensure access to a competitive and skilled company & contract workforce.
What's in it for you?
Gain a better understanding of industrial craft workforce development efforts within Southeast Louisiana, from high school through college, and the effectiveness of the cents/hour training program(s);
Benchmark craft workforce development efforts and compare to others in the area (all data is kept confidential, and no company is identified or identifiable from the report data);
Improve cents/hour craft training donation/collection efforts (ABC, union, NCCER, or others);
Compete for a GBRIA Workforce Development Award. Contractors, post-secondary institutions, high schools, and individuals are eligible to receive awards and recognition.
Eligibility
GBRIA member companies may nominate any contractor whose services they are currently using or have used in the last year falling into the categories listed below. Contractors may ask plants to nominate them or may self-nominate. High Schools and Post-Secondary Institutions can likewise solicit nominations and/or self-nominate. Champions are eligible based upon a nomination submission by a GBRIA member, contractor or via self-nomination. Hall of Fame proposals will be forwarded to the GBRIA Board of Directors for review and selection.
Criteria for Nomination Evaluation
The GBRIA Workforce Development Awards Selection Committee (participation on the committee is open to all GBRIA members, i.e., plants/facilities) will consider nominees as eligible based on a complete nomination, which includes an online submission as well as completion of an interview (high schools) and recorded presentation (post-secondary and contractors)
Award Categories
High Schools
Post-Secondary Institutions (Technical Training Centers)
Contractors
In the Contractors Division:
Workforce Development Awards will be presented to qualified recipients based on the type of work and size of their company. Nominees may fall into the following type of categories:
General Construction & Maintenance
Civil and Structural Contractors (including ironwork, infrastructure, and heavy work)
Specialty Trade Hard Craft (including millwright, pipefitter, etc.)
Specialty Trade Soft Craft (including insulation, painting, scaffolding, etc.)
Technical Support (including non-destructive testing, boilermakers, environmental, etc.)
Other Specialty Contractors not otherwise categorized
Champions may be presented at the discretion of the committee to educators or other individuals who have demonstrated special initiatives or accomplishments in craft workforce development.
Nominees may fall into the following size categories:
Division I
Division II
Division III
The size categories are based on the total hours worked company-wide. The GBRIA Award Selection Committee will determine what size category a company falls in after all nominations are received. Awards will be presented in each category. Contractors who complete the nomination process will receive a percentage score based on their benchmarking application and workforce development program evaluation by GBRIA’s Contractor Workforce Development Committee. Based on their scores, each contractor will receive an Award of Excellence, Award of Merit, or Award of Recognition.
Specialty Awards and Process (Contractors) New for 2025
Specialty Awards Available
Best Recruitment Program
Best Assessment Program
Best Training Program
Innovation Award
Best Overall
Selection Process
To be considered for a specialty award, all judges reviewing the application must recommend the respective submittal, which is then reviewed by the entire judging committee.
The Innovation Award must be related to a program implemented in the last 3 years and previously unawarded for.
The top-scoring companies in each category will be considered for the Best Overall Award, which will be reviewed by the entire judging committee.
GBRIA Craft Workforce Development Hall of Fame
This award has only been given to a few select individuals who have demonstrated a lifetime of achievement that has impacted generations of students and improved Louisiana’s Craft Workforce Development educational efforts. GBRIA has been an integral part of craft workforce development and a key driver as an organization; however, the organization is made up of individuals who volunteer their time, not only with GBRIA but also with many other organizations so that future generations may benefit from our collective efforts. Industry and its talented contractors have worked together for over 50 years, and in that time, dedicated individuals such as our Hall of Fame inductees have made such a huge difference. Induction to the GBRIA Craft Workforce Development Hall of Fame is at the discretion of GBRIA's Board of Directors.
Robert Clouatre, ABC Pelican, 2013 Inductee
Melanie Searles, ABC Pelican, 2015 Inductee
Lane Grigsby, Cajun Industries, 2019 Inductee
Eddie Rispone, ISC, 2019 Inductee
Glen Redd, Triad Electric and Controls, 2023 Inductee
Roland Toups, Turner Industries Group, 2023 Inductee
Art Favre, Performance Contractors, 2024 Inductee
Steve Welch, OxyChem, 2024 Inductee
For More Information
For more information on this program, please contact Brandon Smith at brandon@gbria.org