FastStart Named #1 Workforce Program in USA

Today, Business Facilities ranked Louisiana Economic Development’s FastStart as the nation’s No. 1 state workforce training program for a record 10th consecutive year. Established in 2008, LED FastStart became the national leader in workforce training by building talent pipelines that connect Louisiana’s highly skilled workforce to new and expanding economic development projects across the state.

“LED’s FastStart has pioneered and validated just about every best practice for workforce training that you can think of,” BF Editor in Chief Jack Rogers said. “FastStart remains the gold standard for highly customized workforce development programs.” One of the hallmarks of FastStart has been its adaptation of the latest technology to the needs of workforce development. “Ten years ago, they were the first to use iPads to train workers,” Rogers noted. “They’re always ahead of the curve.”

In the magazine’s 15th Annual Rankings Report, Louisiana also ranked No. 1 in the U.S. for Lowest Industrial Electric Rates, and ranked No. 2 for both Foreign Direct Investments and Foreign Trade Zones-Imports. Additionally, Louisiana earned Top 10 rankings among the best states for Cybersecurity Growth Potential (No. 3), Foreign Trade Zones-Exports (No. 3) and overall Economic Growth Potential (No. 8).

You can read the entire report here.