In 2017, Cajun began an initiative through Workforce Development to provide craft assessments to all supervisory level craft personnel to allow them to obtain NCCER Certification. This goal provided lofty challenges due to the quantity of supervisors and the attention to detail required for assessments. As of current, Cajun has administered assessments and certified approximately 40 percent of its supervisors —with the goal to reach 100 percent assessed by the end of the 2019.
The push for supervisors to become NCCER Certified was initiated not only to validate that our leadership possesses the needed skills to perform their duties but also to motivate and reward our craft professionals. Cajun pays for testing and provides an Individual Training Plan for upgrade skills training.
The certification initiative is also designed to be an attractive perk of employment with Cajun Industries, LLC and a roadmap to skilled supervision. “Credentials are as valuable to our crafts persons as they are to our industry” says Vice President of Field Operations, Tim Willis, “We see this certification as a way to engage our supervision and employees. It’s more than a requirement; it’s a benefit.”
As an NCCER Accredited Training Sponsor and an Accredited Assessment Center, Cajun conducts computer based NCCER assessments in-house at our Baton Rouge and Houston offices, as well as on our job sites such as Sasol, Monsanto, and Formosa. As part of Cajun Industries, LLC established Leadership Mentorship Program, NCCER assessments analyze the skills of uncertified employees—both new and existing. Within 2 minutes from completing the assessment results are available and from there, a customized training plan is developed to address gaps, and typically, employees will be ready to re-assess within 30 days.
“We make assessments as convenient as we can, and we look to teach our craft persons skills that directly relate to the projects they’re working on,” says Willis.
While developing this training and testing infrastructure requires significant effort and expense, Willis echoes that Cajun views the initiative as a long-term investment. “Having talented, skilled, well trained and fully engaged craft supervision enables us to deliver top quality safe results for our clients. By making an investment in our people, we’re making an investment in our entire business.”
NCCER Assessments can be scheduled by contacting Manger of Workforce Development Chris Newton at
chris.newton@cajunusa.com