Morgan City High tools up for job training

Train local, stay local.
This is the idea that Dr. Buffy Fegenbush, Supervisor of High School Instruction and Career, Technical and Alternative Education for St. Mary Parish schools, used to describe the career trade programs being offered at Morgan City High School and South Louisiana Community College to high school students across the parish.
The 2019-20 school year saw the on-campus welding program return to Morgan City High School.
“Welding was a program that we had for many years, but it left Morgan City High and we actually bused our kids to SLCC for the past 18 years,” Mickey Fabre, principal of Morgan City High School said in an interview Tuesday.
“This year, Dr. Fegenbush was instrumental in bringing it back to Morgan City High School, so we got a welding instructor, we revamped our facilities with new welding machines, new bays, brand new workstations, everything back there is first class now,” Fabre said.
The option to take welding from a certified instructor is offered to students at Morgan City High, Berwick High and Patterson High schools during the school day on the Morgan City High School campus. The program can enroll a total of 45 students from the three schools.
Students can also take advantage of a partnership St. Mary Parish Schools has made with South Louisiana College creating a night class to be offered allowing students to earn higher credentials. The class begins Monday and will end in May.
“We have approximately 20 kids total, 13 from Morgan City High and seven from Berwick/Patterson High that are enrolled in a night program where our welding instructor here will go to teach a night class at SLCC,” Fabre said. “This is so our students can earn a Level II welding certification this year.”
The night class takes place 5:30-8:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
“It’s a huge commitment for the students and the instructor because they are going to school during the day and making that night commitment, but that is something they understand,” Fegenbush said.
“The program is paid for. It’s a $2,500 program plus a $350 tool kit fee, but all expenses will be paid for local high school students that agree to go through the program,” Fegenbush said.
Fegenbush was able to work with South Louisiana Community College for more than just welding.
“Water survival and rigging is a program I am working with SLCC that is going to be offered across the district,” Fegenbush said.
This program will be open to all high school students across the district who are part of welding or carpentry and meet the requirements beginning in February.
“It is a two-day training and this is two basic industry certifications that you need to go to work in the offshore industry,” Fegenbush said. “Our students that are 18 years old that finish the program will also get a TWIC card so they will be work ready when they exit high school.”
For the senior class this year, a machinist program will be offered starting this summer.
“This is going to be only for those that recently graduated because once they finish the agreement with the industry, the idea is that they will be ready to go straight to work because they are in need of employees at this time, but next year our goal is to make it a full-year course for those current seniors,” Fegenbush said.
The machinist program will be open across the district for graduating seniors, but it will be an application process. All of the machinist courses will take place on the South Louisiana Community College campus.
“The industry actually came to us and said there are no workers out there for us to hire and how can we team with the schools to make this happen,” Fabre said. “So Dr. Fegenbush and I went to the SLCC campus and toured the facility, we discussed how can we make this work for our kids.”
In November, Scott Tudury, owner of APEX CNC, approached Fabre, explaining that machine shops across St. Mary Parish were struggling to find skilled labor. The machinist program that existed before at South Louisiana Community College is closed, therefore people do not have access to local training and are not entering the profession.
“It’s a partnership between SLCC, St. Mary Parish School Board and local industry to bring this training back, so it is a win-win for everybody,” Fabre said. “We are hoping that once we lift the locks off those doors at SLCC that it is a program that continues not just for Morgan City High School, but for our community because there is a need for those skilled workers.”
The machinist program will be available May-August and will serve 10-15 graduates. Tuition and materials will be paid and students will receive a stipend of $100 per week while training. All who complete the program this summer are guaranteed a job at one of the local machine shops.
Morgan City High School also has a culinary arts program called the Prostart Culinary Arts/ Restaurant Management Program that is sponsored by the National Restaurant Association. But the current equipment in the school is more what would be found in homes, and the program requires commercial grade equipment.
South Louisiana Community College has a facility with commercial kitchen equipment that was not being used and agreed to partner with Morgan City High School to offer the opportunity for the students to work in a commercial kitchen, similar to what would be found in restaurants or hotels.
Starting in the 2020-21 school year, students can enroll in the two-block course and will be taken by bus to SLCC.
“H & B Young Founda-tion is another instrumental part in making all these things happen for us because they want to support our community and they are a big supporter of Morgan City High School,” Fabre said. “And with this partnership with SLCC we are hoping that a closed facility now becomes open, not just for our high school students, but for the community as a whole.
“We are hoping that we are a catalyst, that by opening up these programs that community members can go and learn a skill and stay right here in St. Mary Parish and benefit our local economy and live and thrive in our community.”