Today, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) announced a scholarship agreement with Country Music Television (CMT). The scholarship was formed as a result of the CMT Empowering Education Tour which occurred this past March at eight LCTCS colleges. The agreement calls for a one-time $500 scholarship for every registrant to the CMT Empowering Education Tour and a $500 match from CMT for anyone who attended the event. The scholarship offer will be valid only for the fall 2018 semester. Registrant and participant information will be matched and awarded as potential students apply for admission to the college that hosted a tour event on the college's website.
The eight colleges that hosted a tour event were Bossier Parish Community College, Louisiana Delta Community College Winnsboro campus, Central Louisiana Technical Community College Jena campus, SOWELA Technical Community College Jennings campus, Baton Rouge Community College New Roads campus, Fletcher Technical Community College, River Parishes Community College Reserve campus, and Northshore Technical Community College Lacombe campus.
"We are thrilled to offer students scholarship opportunity at our colleges in partnership with CMT," said Monty Sullivan, LCTCS president. "We know the CMT Empowering Education Tour and scholarship will have a positive statewide impact on students and workforce development outcomes."
CMT Empowering Education is a comprehensive educational campaign that provides both an online resource and on-the-ground support to aid prospective students in overcoming the most commonly perceived obstacles to furthering education.
The tour with Courtney Cole was part of a multi-faceted partnership between CMT, Louisiana Community and Technical Colleges System (LCTCS) and Louisiana Calling that aimed to increase the number of work-ready residents in the state.
According to the Louisiana Workforce Commission, Louisiana has unprecedented demand for skilled workers throughout the state, and these positions often require training or education beyond a high school diploma.
In 2017, LCTCS served and provided instruction and workforce training to over 131,000 students. More than 24,185 students graduated from LCTCS colleges, which represents a 23% increase in graduates over the last three years.
Louisiana Calling's mission is to develop and conduct a multi-year public messaging campaign to help Louisianans discover and appreciate the many educational pathways that lead to high-value jobs and sustainable careers statewide.