Port Allen High School junior Allyson Parton grew up intrigued by welding, watching her cousin practice the craft. As the 2025-2026 school year begins in West Baton Rouge, she’ll soon get a chance to try it for herself.

“When I graduate, I want to go to a trade school for welding,” Parton said. “I really just want to learn all the basic skills this year.”

The first day of school at the West Baton Rouge Career Academy brought new class options and a new wave of students like Parton excited to learn about the trades.

Enrollment at the career and technical education center, a model seen as part of the solution to Louisiana’s skilled workforce shortages , jumped to around 350 students from last school year to the beginning of 2025-2026 — an increase of over 100 students.

The academy is

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