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Workforce Development Awards

Links:

Nominate High Schools, Post-Secondary Institutions, and Contractors: Click Here 

Please note that the a new awards management software, OpenWater, is being used this year. This will require you to create a login to submit nominations and applications. This is not the same login as used for this website.

Track Nominations: Click Here

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?

  1. 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);

  2. 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);

  3. Improve cents/hour craft training donation/collection efforts (ABC, union, NCCER, or others);

  4. 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​

Contractors

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:

  1. General Construction & Maintenance

  2. Civil and Structural Contractors (including ironwork, infrastructure, and heavy work)

  3. Specialty Trade Hard Craft (including millwright, pipefitter, etc.)

  4. Specialty Trade Soft Craft (including insulation, painting, scaffolding, etc.)

  5. Technical Support (including non-destructive testing, boilermakers, environmental, etc.)

  6. Other Specialty Contractors not otherwise categorized

  7. 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:

  1. Division I

  2. Division II

  3. 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