Workforce training program will bear Mike Foster's name

On Wednesday, the Louisiana House of Representatives unanimously approved Senate Bill 148, also known as the MJ Foster Promise Program.
Senate Bill 148, which was authored by Senate President Page Cortez and House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, was previously approved by the Senate. The bill now awaits signature by Governor John Bel Edwards.
Named after former Louisiana Gov. Mike J. Foster, the founding father of the state’s community college system, the MJ Foster Promise program is a new $10.5 million annual state fund aimed at providing workforce training opportunities for Louisiana’s adults.
The program will provide financial support for adults to earn credentials that align to high-demand jobs in growing industry sectors, such as construction, healthcare, information technology, manufacturing, and transportation and logistics.
Eligible credentials will be earned through short-term workforce training as well as more traditional academic degree programs no longer than 60 credit hours (an associate degree).
“The approval of Senate Bill 148 is about educating and skilling more of our people to allow them to go to work and make a living. It’s about investing in our adults, and it’s about developing the best Louisiana we can be,” said system President Monty Sullivan.
“There are adults in our state who want a better life and who want to learn new skills to go to work. As a state, we have set educational attainment goals through Louisiana Prospers that 60 percent of working-age adults will hold a high-value credential by 2030.
"The MJ Foster Promise is a means by which the state will reach this goal. Participating in today’s economy requires education and skills beyond high school. The MJ Foster Promise Program sends a clear message to adults: wherever you are on life’s path, education and workforce training beyond high school is absolutely necessary for your personal success and to the future suc