Published October 4, 2023
CAPTION: Local business leaders, educators, high school students, and ULM faculty and administrators
gathered to celebrate the recent grant award.
MONROE, LA – The College of Business and Social Sciences at the University of Louisiana Monroe
held a press conference on Tuesday, October 3, 2023, to announce the receipt of a
second consecutive Department of Labor WORC Delta Regional Authority grant to fund
the High School Business Academy. The grant award totals $1,499,983 and will continue
to fund the program for the next three years. The High School Business Academy covers
11 parishes and prepares high school students for in-demand jobs in their communities
in Northeast Louisiana.
“The High School Business Academy is a program in which ULM business faculty have
created business-related courses and provide trainings to area high school teachers,”
said program coordinator Kelli Cole. “The high school teachers are given all necessary
information and materials to teach the courses.”
Students who take six business academy courses earn a certificate of completion from
the High School Business Academy. Once a high school student has successfully taken
at least two business academy courses and has a teacher recommendation, they are eligible
to apply for a paid internship. Cole coordinates all internships and matches students
to local businesses based on the student’s career goals, skills, and location.
“This program is a great example of educational partnerships with industry,” said
ULM President Dr. Ron Berry.
Representatives from local businesses who have participated in the program attended
the press conference as well as current and former students who have participated
in the in the High School Business Academy. “These students are the reason for this
program,” said Cole. Speaking directly to the students, Cole added, “I truly believe
the High School Business Academy is changing lives, and I am so honored to lead this
program and be a part of your journey. I can’t wait to see where the future leads
you.”
Berry also thanked the high school student participants in attendance for their willingness
to work with businesses in the community. “You’ll learn later in life that getting
out of your comfort zone is the best thing you can do. That’s where you grow, where
you learn, and where you get better,” said Berry.
The grant award allows for the continuation of the High School Business Academy, which
has been funded for the last three years by the initial grant that was received in
2020. In the first three years of the program, local students completed 70 internships.
Cole projects that 180 additional internships will be completed in the next three
years.
High School Business Academy courses are currently available in twenty-four local
high schools. High school students who wish to participate in the academy can speak
with their school’s guidance counselor.
