As evidenced in a National Center for Higher Education Management Study authored in 2011 calling for the establishment of a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Campus on the Northshore, the fall 2017 school year was marked by exponential growth.

The doubling and quadrupling of enrollments in key areas confirms that NTCC is not only beneficial but necessary in meeting the workforce demands on the Northshore. In St. Tammany Parish, where NTCC’s newest STEM campus is located, STEM wages have doubled over the last 10 years, rising 114 percent. According to a U.S. Dept. of Commerce report, over the last decade STEM jobs nationally have grown at a rate six times that of non-STEM jobs and looking toward 2024, STEM will continue to outpace non-STEM occupations.

Overall, NTCC served nearly 10,000 students during the 2016-2017 school year and shows no sign of slowing its growth rate. Their long anticipated new STEM campus opened its doors in February 2017 and saw a surge in student enrollment for the current fall semester. In-part, growth can be attributed to the holistic character of the school. The student body is comprised of a widely diverse group of learners that include young and old, inexperienced and experienced, credit and non-credit, high school dual enrollment, students pursuing their high-school equivalency, and those on a transfer pathway to four-year degrees in the sciences or engineering. “Strategic growth is directly tied to market responsiveness through business and industry engagement and expanded partnerships with secondary school systems and universities.

“The culmination of regional partnerships continues to build effective synergies demonstrating workforce solutions that build stronger economies,” said Dr. William Wainwright, chancellor of NTCC.

Focused on meeting the growing workforce demands in our state, the Louisiana Technical and Community College System facilitated the setting forth of goals to be met by their 12 member institutions by the year 2020. Taking a proactive, innovative, and responsive approach, Northshore Technical Community College has already surpassed many of their goals. NTCC’s 2020 goal for student transfers to four-year universities was 1,500; the 2016-2017 academic year saw 2,140 transfers. Business and industry (B&I) partnerships are vital to colleges as they ensure alignment between workforce needs, program offerings, and curriculum design. NTCC’s 2020 goal for B&I partnerships was 70. Currently they are maintaining and nurturing 131 of these valuable relationships. The goal for overall number of students served was 9,360; the number met was 9,679.

Northshore Technical Community College is continuing to grow both in facilities and assets allowing the college to serve even more students. A second building, an advanced technology center, will be completed on the Lacombe STEM campus by the spring of 2019 and will be followed by a high-tech Information Technology center. In August, it was announced that an NTCC campus and advanced technology center will be built in Walker, bringing these much need resources to the residents of Livingston Parish.