The sun was shining on the headquarters of Cenac Marine Services in Houma last Tuesday as Cenac employees, SLCC Educating Officials, and local business members poured into the covered area just in front of the newly re-vamped Cenac barge that was dedicated to the Workforce Development program at South Louisiana Technical College.
The dedicated barge, which measures 158 feet by 40 feet, is an exact replica of a standard Cenac Marine Services tank barge with all the bells and whistles. These updated features will allow for the highest quality education and training for those that attend the program that are set to be the next generation of maritime industry leaders.
The ceremony began with a prayer, followed by a heartfelt speech from the CEO of Cenac Marine Services, Benny Cenac. He described his gratitude and excitement in being able to donate this important piece of equipment to the college. He explained his hopes for the future of his Houma and South Louisiana community that will be directly affected by this gift as it will provide elite training and mold qualified personnel to be future industry front-runners.
Jermaine Ford, SLCC’s Associate Vice President for Economic and Workforce Development emphasized his thankfulness and enthusiasm for the donation as he had been looking forward to this event for quite some time. “When partners like Cenac Marine Services make an equipment donation like this reconditioned barge, they are directly contributing to a well-qualified workforce in our region. This barge will be a classroom for our students and is a learning environment that is second-to-none in providing real-world experience. Our students will be better prepared to tackle jobs in the oil and gas industry because of this partnership and this donation” stated Ford.
The ceremony was completed with the Christening that took place on top of the barge as they stood on the front and broke 3 sealed bottles of champagne, wrapped in Cenac colored material over the side as they always do in tradition of each barge dedication.
Thank you to all who were able to attend this event in support of South Central Louisiana Technical College’s Workforce Development Training program. We look forward to seeing the success students who are generated over the years after attending this program.
For more information about the event,visit The Houma Times and Workboat Magazine.
