Industry-Based Certification (IBC)
What is an IBC?
An Industry-Based Certification is an independent third party credential that is industry-accepted and results from a process whereby an individual's knowledge and/or skill in a particular area is verified against a set of pre-determined standards.
How are IBCs used?
An IBC is tangible evidence that an individual has successfully demonstrated skill competencies in a specific set of work-related tasks, a single occupational area, or a cluster of related occupational areas as recognized by a specific industry. It has been suggested that IBCs are an individual's passport into the new economy. Employers, as members of a particular industry base, participate in setting the standards and creating criteria for certificate attainment.
What is the approval process for IBCs?
In order to be considered for inclusion on the approved focus list, the IBC must meet the requirements for certification inclusion, the recommending entity must complete an application, and the IBC must be approved for recommendation by the IBC Council.
What are Louisiana’s IBC focus areas?
The IBC Council compiled a list of approved, recognized industry-based certifications. The purpose of the IBC "focus list" is to provide guidance – to training programs and other stakeholders in the workforce development system, as well as to students – as to occupational areas that are important to Louisiana and in which certifications are recognized by Louisiana businesses.
See Louisiana’s IBC state focus list.
See the TOPS Tech Early Start program list.
See IBC Application Packet.
What are the IBC requirements?
The criteria for inclusion on the official IBC focus list are as follows:
Certification must:
- Fit the definition of an Industry-Based Certification which is a credential, usually issued by an industry or industry group, that verifies an individual has met the skill standards established by that industry or industry group, as minimal requirements to successfully enter the workforce and compete in a particular occupational area. Industry-based standards are usually monitored and updated in accordance with changes by the sponsoring/certifying agency. Certifications normally have a finite life and a re-certification process must be undertaken by recipients of credentials to keep the certification in force.
- Provide opportunities for entry-level employment in occupations recognized state-wide as a 4 or 5 Star job by the Louisiana Workforce Investment Council and its Occupational Forecasting Conference. Documentation detailing demand and wages for occupations must be submitted with the application.
- Have state, national, or international recognition. An IBC is tangible evidence that an individual has successfully demonstrated skill competencies in a specific set of work-related tasks, a single occupational area, or a cluster of related occupational areas as recognized by the specific industry and verified by successful completion of required assessment components.
- Have the support of at least three (3) Louisiana employers recognizing the credential. Letters of support on company letterhead must accompany the application.
- Be generic, not vendor-specific, except in special cases as determined by the IBC Council.
NOTE: The IBC Council may make exceptions to these requirements on a case-by-case basis, when making their recommendations to the full Workforce Investment Council.
What is the process for adding a certification to the official IBC focus list?
- The IBC application must be completed and submitted to the Director of the Louisiana Workforce Investment Council no later than one month prior to an IBC Council meeting. Incomplete applications will not be considered. This form and all supporting documentation may be completed and submitted by any entity wishing to have a certification added to the State Focus List and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) approved IBC matrix. Please send the completed application and all supporting documentation to
IBCcouncil@la.gov.
- The Chairperson of the IBC Council will direct appropriate staff (Louisiana Department of Education – LDOE, Louisiana Community and Technical College System – LCTCS, Louisiana Economic Development – LED, or Louisiana Workforce Commission – LWC) to research the requested certification to verify occupational demand and wages and to ensure that all basic requirements are met.
- The approval process to add new IBCs to the State Focus list is as follows:
- Requesting entity submits completed application and all supporting documentation to the Director of the Louisiana Workforce Investment Council.
- Staff (LDOE, LCTCS, LED, or LWC) will provide requested information to the IBC Council.
- Upon completion of review of information provided by Staff, the IBC Council will determine if there is substantial evidence for the inclusion of a new IBC.
- Should the IBC Council determine substantial evidence for the inclusion of a new IBC, the submitting entity and employers supporting the request will be required to present the IBC application, answer additional questions or provide additional information.
- Upon approval by the IBC Council, the application will be placed on the next Workforce Investment Council (WIC) meeting agenda for review and final approval.
- Once certification is approved by the WIC, it will be sent to the Education Providers as an action item to be added to LDOE’s IBC matrix.
- Updated information about the approved IBC and its link to a high-wage, in-demand career must be submitted to the Director of the Louisiana Workforce Investment Council every two years for review and determination of whether the IBC remains on the State Focus list.
Contact Information
Louisiana Workforce Investment Council
1001 North 23rd Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Industry-Based Certification Council Members:
Ava Dejoie<More info>
Secretary, Louisiana Workforce Commission, Ex-Officio

Secretary, Louisiana Workforce Commission
Ex-Officio
Baton Rouge
(225) 342-3001
adejoie@lwc.la.gov
The Secretary has more than 15 years of leadership experience in public administration and is passionate about finding solutions that make Louisiana an outstanding place in which to live, work and grow a business.
Dejoie joined the LWC in 2012 and most recently was statewide coordinator of its Rapid Response Team. She earlier served as director of LWC special projects in the New Orleans area, including supervising the Avondale Employee Transition Center. Dejoie’s extensive background in Louisiana workforce development includes experience as a business liaison for the Louisiana Department of Education. In addition, she served as a board member of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System from 1998-2007, Vice President of the Welfare to Work Partnership, Dejoie supervised creation of the partnership’s law project, and was recognized for the accomplishment by President George W. Bush in ceremonies at the White House. While with the partnership, she also helped secure funding for a process technology laboratory at L.B. Landry High School in New Orleans.
<
Close>
Keith Brand<More info>
Governor Appointed, Organized Labor Representative

Governor Appointed, Organized Labor Representative
Apprenticeship Program
Baton Rouge
(225) 752-4861
BREJATC@aol.com
Keith Brand is an electrical apprenticeship instructor at the Louisiana Technical College. He recently retired as the Training Director for the Baton Rouge Area Electrical JATC. He has been a certified Journeyman Inside Wireman for over 40 years. Keith has served as a member and officer or board member for the Louisiana State Apprenticeship Council, the Apprenticeship and Training Administrators’ Association of Louisiana, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 995, the Louisiana AFL-CIO, the Baton Rouge Area Building and Trades Construction Council, the National Electrical Training Directors’ Association, Louisiana’s Statewide Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, and the WIC in some capacity since 2008 either as a member or advisor.
<
Close>
Chris Broadwater<More info>
Gayle Flowers<More info>

Bossier Parish Community College
Bossier City
318-678-6479
gflowers@bpcc.edu
Dr. Gayle Flowers is Vice Chancellor for Economic & Workforce Development at Bossier Parish Community College. She previously served as the Director of Career, Adult & Alternative Education for Caddo Parish Public Schools in Shreveport. Prior to that, she served for 14 years as Principal of Caddo Career &Technology Center.
Dr. Flowers earned her degrees from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. She received LSUS' 2017 Doctoral Student Academic Award, 2009 Circle of Excellence Award, is a graduate of Leadership Louisiana and Leadership Shreveport-Bossier. She is on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement, LSUS Alumni Board, Goodwill Industries, and serves as a member of Rotary Club of Shreveport, United Way of Northwest Louisiana, and involved in numerous professional organizations. Ms. Flowers has also served on a variety of Governor's Task Forces and other boards..
<
Close>
Lisa French<More info>

Dept. of Education
Baton Rouge
(225) 342-3347
Lisa.French@LA.GOV
Lisa French serves as the Executive Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE,) at Louisiana Department of Education, in the Office of Student Opportunities. Lisa leads the implementation of Jump Start. In this role, she manages CTE policy work, industry credentialing, and business and industry engagement for Jump Start. Lisa also leads the agency work focused on transforming alternative education schools and programs.
Lisa began her career in the private sector at General Motors as an Industrial Engineer, then later a Production Manager. She transitioned in 2001 to Kimberly-Clark Professional as a Business Unit Manager. In 2006 she became Director of the first Early College Program in Atlanta, Georgia at Georgia State University.
Lisa received her Masters of Business Administration from Emory University Goizueta Business School.
<
Close>
Rep. Patricia Haynes-Smith<More info>
House Speaker Appointed

House Speaker Appointed
House of Representatives Representative
Baton Rouge
(225) 342-7106
smithp@legis.state.la.us
Representative Patricia Haynes-Smith began her career in Louisiana service as a teacher in East Baton Rouge Parish (EBR) School System. She went on to work with ExxonMobil and the LSU Community University Partnership before serving two-terms as president of the EBR School Board. Rep. Haynes Smith is well known in Baton Rouge and throughout Louisiana for her tireless effort to champion causes she believes in. She is currently serving second terms in both the Louisiana House of Representatives and as chair of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus. Her awards are too numerous to list here but include the first Martin Luther King Distinguished Leadership Award in Politics, the “Fannie Lou Hamer Political Award” from Grambling University, the Nurse-Family Partnership “Champion Award” and she was named “Legislator of the Year” by the Louisiana School Board Association. She was recently accepted into the prestigious Henry Toll Fellowship Program.
<
Close>
Todd O. McDonald<More info>

New Orleans
(504) 240-5253
tomcdonald@libertybank.net
Todd McDonald started with Liberty Bank in May 2003 as a Mortgage Processor and has since grown into Vice President of Strategic Management. Within his role, Todd is responsible for uncovering, evaluating, and developing business plans for growth and performance improvement opportunities; leading high impact initiatives; and providing overall management for special projects initiated by the CEO and board. Before joining Liberty, Todd graduated with honors from Morehouse College where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in Business Management and recently graduated from the Executive MBA program Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management in Chicago. Outside of the bank, Todd is the owner of several businesses involving real estate, technology, and fast food.
<
Close>
Mike Palamone<More info>
Governor Appointed

Governor Appointed
General Business Representative
New Orleans
(504) 523-5511
mpalamone@urbansystems.com
Mr. Palamone is a Principal/member of the Board of Directors of Urban Systems Inc., a Traffic/Transportation Engineering and Land Use planning firm. Mr. Palamone has the responsibility of business management and the firms’ marketing strategies and new market initiatives. With over Thirty-Five years of experience in the engineering and construction industry, Mr. Palamone directs a skilled staff of over twenty professionals with annual revenues over 2.5 million. Mr. Palamone served as the firms’ CEO/Managing Partner for over 15 years through 2012, when he stepped aside for emerging young leadership for the firm.
<
Close>
Louis Reine<More info>
Governor Appointed

Governor Appointed
Organized Labor Representative
Baton Rouge
(225) 383-5741
lsreine@hotmail.com
Louis began his career as an apprentice, graduating from the apprenticeship program as the outstanding apprentice. As an active member in his local union, he served as an Apprenticeship Instructor, and later as an Apprenticeship Director. After brief employment with the U.S. Department of Labor, he returned to Carpenters Local1098 to be the Administrator of their Health and Welfare and Pension Benefits Funds. In 1997, he became Assistant to the President of the Louisiana AFL-CIO, and in 2002 he gained the responsibilities of being the Director of Legislative Activities and the Statewide Political Director for the Louisiana AFL-CIO. In October 2004, Louis was appointed Secretary Treasurer by the Executive Board, and in 2005 was elected to that position by the delegates at the 2005 Annual Convention. On February 25, 2014, He was unanimously elected to serve another term as President of the Louisiana AFL-CIO. He serves on numerous boards and commissions on behalf of working men and women of organized labor.
<
Close>
Dr. Henry Sanders<More info>
Susie Schowen<More info>

Dept. of Economic Development
Baton Rouge
susana.schowen@la.gov
Susana Schowen joined LED FastStart, a division of Louisiana Economic Development, in June of 2011. As the Director of Workforce Initiatives, she is tasked with implementing high-level strategies focused on systemic workforce reform. Based on analyses of workforce supply and demand, she is collaborating with educational stakeholders to align offerings to the needs of Louisiana employers. Prior to joining LED, Susie managed a private technical college in Baton Rouge after creating a nationwide basic skills program focused on underperforming high schools for Thomson Peterson’s. Before that, she held a number of positions with Kaplan, Inc. managing test preparation courses, financial services training, and online college programs. She received degrees in chemistry from Wellesley College and Columbia University.
<
Close>
Janice Sneed<More info>

Southern University
Shreveport
(318) 670-9470
jsneed@susla.edu
As the Vice Chancellor for the Division of Community and Workforce Development and Metro Campus Administrator at Southern University at Shreveport, Mrs. Sneed works with Adult Literacy, Community Education, Corporate Training, Homebuyer Education, Small Business Development, Workforce Training, and Youth Services initiatives. She also has over 30 years of experience in project management, facilitating partnerships, community/economic development, and workforce initiatives. She has administered a portfolio of grants that exceeds $50 million in the course of her career. She is a graduate of Leadership Shreveport(2000), Leadership Louisiana(2004) and 2006 Chamber of Commerce Athena Nominee. Major Janice B. Sneed has 22 yrs of military service: 6 yrs active duty as a Computer Information Systems Officer and 16 years of reserve service in the 917th Air Force Reserve Wing.
<
Close>
David St. Etienne<More info>
Governor Appointed

Governor Appointed
Minority-Owned Business Representative
Harvey
(504) 994-1441
dbs@utsi.us
David St. Etienne is the President and CEO of Ultimate Technical Solutions, Inc. At UTSI, Mr. St. Etienne provides overall management to the organization as well as providing strategic planning, budgeting, sales forecasting and overall operations and leadership.
In addition to his nearly 40 years of Executive Management and leadership of UTSI, David also completed multiple programs of study at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire after majoring in Industrial Engineering studies at Delgado and working as an Industrial engineer at the beginning of his career.
Mr. St.Etienne is currently a member of the Jefferson Workforce Development Board an Chairman of the Black Chamber of Commerce New Orleans. He is a past Board Member of the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, Louisiana Minority Business Council, and Board of St. Georges Episcopal School. He also serves the Jefferson Business Council, Young Leadership Council and the Light House of the Blind.
<
Close>
Dr. Lisa Vosper<More info>

Board of Regents
Baton Rouge
Dr.Lisa.Vosper@REGENTS.LA.GOV
Dr. Lisa S. Vosper serves as the Associate Commissioner for Workforce Education and Training at the Louisiana Board of Regents. She has previously served as an executive on loan to the Louisiana Workforce Commission. Dr. Vosper has been on a team named a ”Higher Education Headliner” by the State Faculty Senate Association, “Trailblazer in Higher Education” by the Louisiana Association of Women in Higher Education (LAWHE); gubernatorial transition sub-committee on the Workforce and Economic Development, the Louisiana Women’s Commission on Policy and Research; and another governor’s transition team as a member of the Workforce Advisory Committee. She is the Vice Chair of the UP Alliance, Chair of the U. S. Army’s Grassroots Advisory Council, and a number of other state, regional, and national policy teams. She was also selected as a contributing writer for the acclaimed “Women of Color Study Bible” (World Bible Publishers International).
<
Close>