Connecting the Dots: How One Acadiana’s Industry Roundtables Are Building Bridges Between Employers

Connecting the Dots: How One Acadiana’s Industry Roundtables Are Building Bridges Between Employers and Educators

In 2021, One Acadiana reoriented its Workforce & Education Committee meetings to better elevate the needs of employers by organizing discussions around specific industry sectors. The goal was to give employers a clear forum to share real-time workforce challenges and strengthen connections with education and training partners.

The first of these sector-focused meetings centered on healthcare. Guided by the Next Gen Sector Partnership model, the discussion brought together healthcare providers and education partners to share their most pressing workforce concerns. One challenge stood out across the board: a shortage of respiratory therapists. The strain of the COVID-19 pandemic had sharply increased demand for respiratory care, intensifying a shortage that was already difficult for employers to manage.

That clear and shared need became the spark for collaboration among several partners – Ochsner Lafayette General, VieMed, LSU Eunice, and Acadiana Workforce Solutions – who continued meeting after the session to design a new approach to training respiratory therapists.

A Spark in Healthcare

Those follow-up conversations led to the creation of Louisiana’s first Respiratory Therapy Apprenticeship Program, an “earn while you learn” model that gives students the chance to complete their Associate of Science in Respiratory Care while gaining paid, hands-on experience in Ochsner facilities.

Students complete 18 months of academic coursework at LSU Eunice before beginning 18 months of clinical rotations, with wraparound supports provided by Acadiana Workforce Solutions.

This collaboration demonstrated how One Acadiana’s committee discussions could evolve into concrete workforce solutions.

From Committee Meetings to Industry Roundtables

Encouraged by the success of these sector-based discussions, One Acadiana formalized the approach in 2022 through its quarterly Industry Roundtable Series. The Roundtables bring together employers in four key industries – Healthcare, Manufacturing, Information Technology, and Skilled Trades – alongside educators, workforce agencies, and community partners.

The model follows a simple but effective principle: employers lead the discussion, and partners listen, learn, and collaborate. Inspired by the Next Gen Sector Partnership framework, the Roundtables provide a consistent platform for aligning workforce needs with education and training opportunities.

Turning Conversation into Collaboration

Since that first healthcare session, the Roundtables have helped connect partners to existing and emerging workforce solutions.

In Information Technology, CGI shared insights from its Software Development Apprenticeship, the first of its kind in Louisiana, which is run in partnership with Apprenti. The discussion helped raise awareness of apprenticeship pathways and encouraged other employers to explore similar models.

In Skilled Trades, the Master’s Guild Association highlighted its Intro to Construction program, an on-ramp for individuals interested in building careers in the construction industry. By sharing the program through One Acadiana’s Industry Roundtable, the Master’s Guild gained valuable exposure that has opened opportunities for the program’s expansion and new partnerships.

Each of these examples underscores the value of creating space for employers and educators to connect, learn, and collaborate around shared challenges.

Building a Culture of Connection

Today, the Industry Roundtable Series serves as a standing structure for engagement between industry and education – a platform valued by employers and partners across Acadiana.

Through the Roundtables and the broader One Acadiana ConnectEd initiative, One Acadiana continues to play its unique role in the regional workforce ecosystem: helping employers and educators connect in ways that build shared understanding, foster collaboration, and ultimately strengthen the region’s talent pipeline.