M.J. Foster Program starts this summer helping adults advance in education, careers

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - More than a million Louisiana adults’ education stops with a high school degree, and technical and community colleges want to change.

Starting this summer, the M.J. Foster Promise Program will help more adults get a two-year degree or an eight-week training credential. Qualifying adults in Louisiana could get financial assistance, or a chance to train in certain fields.

“Last session in the 2021 session, the legislature passed M.J. Mike Foster Promise Program which provides a scholarship opportunity to adults 21 and older, and provides for them the opportunity to get the skills they need to participate in this economy,” explains Monty Sullivan President of the Louisiana Community Technical College System.

Community colleges and technical colleges across the state will offer the program, opening the door for opportunities in the fields of health care, transportation and logistics, manufacturing, information technology, and construction.

“Education opportunity is key to get people into the industry and to get those career opportunities that they might not have had in the past. A large population in our state are under-educated or underemployed,” says Interim Vice Chancellor for River Parishes Community College Will Seaman.

RPCC will open up their pet plant, and train applicants on what it’s like to work at a chemical plant.

“A lot of times students go into a program and without having the tie in with the business and industry side and don’t really know what’s going to happen when they get there day one. Going through these processes, having our glass lab as you have here and the pet plant we have in the back will give the students that leg up that other folks won’t have,” adds Seaman.

Seaman hopes hands-on experiences like this or educational courses will give Louisiana adults access to better-paying careers.

The program will officially start on Friday, July 1, if you are interested in the program, you can click on the link here.

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