A high-demand, high-wage job is within reach! Earn your high school diploma while earning college credit or an industry-based credential. SOWELA Technical Community College and the Literacy Council of Southwest Louisiana can help you learn a skill and receive an education. Financial aid is available for those that qualify. For more information or to apply, contact the Literacy Council at (337) 494-7000 or the Adult Basic Education WRU Transitions Office at (337) 421-6578.
The WorkReady U program offers the following course pathways:
| Program | Available Sites | |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Networking Technology | Main Campus | |
| Industrial Electrician | Main Campus | Morgan Smith Instructional Site |
| Office Systems Technology | Main Campus | Morgan Smith Instructional Site |
| Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Technology – Automotive Concentration | Main Campus | |
| Welding | Main Campus | Morgan Smith Instructional Site |
Lex’s Success Story
“When I enrolled in the WRU program and began classes, I continued to tell my teachers and staff that I just wanted my HSE. I did not want to go to college. I just wanted to work. Close to the end of the semester, I had obtained my HSE. During the semester, I noticed that other students were asking me for assistance in the computer course, as well as math. I didn’t even realize that I was actually good at it, but faculty and staff noticed and I was once again encouraged to give college a try. After the semester was over, I continued to think about what the Literacy Council staff told me.
After hearing, ‘We believe in you, Lex’ and ‘You CAN do college, Lex,’ I began to think maybe I could do it. I then made the decision to enroll in SOWELA, and I am now in my third semester in the Industrial Electrician program. I am also working at the Literacy Council through the work-study program at SOWELA. Through work-study, I’ve been tutoring students and have become a role model for those who think there is no way they can go to college. I have shared my story with as many students that I can and, hopefully, I can encourage or motivate them. I always tell them, ‘It takes hard work and dedication, but if Lex can do it, you can do it.'”
WRU is a state-wide initiative for colleges like SOWELA in the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. It is designed to help colleges identify pathways to post-secondary education for those in the community who are participating in an adult education program or who have recently earned a high school equivalency diploma.