The Houston-based Valerus, which has a facility in Houma, will use the $73,000 grant to train 48 of its 61 employees over the next year.
Louis Boothe, Valerus's training director, said the company intends to use the money to teach employees a variety of skills, including water survival and defensive driving.
Boothe places an especially high priority on defensive-driving training.
"That’s probably one of our most dangerous jobs, driving to and from work sites," he said.
He also said his employees need to be certified by OSHA and MMS for onshore and offshore work.
"Our customers require us to have this training to be able to work for them," Boothe said.
He said this training will be done through Louisiana schools and training companies.
The grant money will also be spent on technical training. As gas-compression technology evolves, as often happens, employees need to have the training to understand and use it effectively, Boothe said. The technical training will be done in-house at Valerus’ facilities.
"It allows us to keep our employees up-to-date on the newest technical achievements," he said. "The Incumbent Worker Training Program is a great program."
Since handing out its first grant in 1999, the program has awarded nearly $335 million to help companies train almost 250,000 employees.
"It has allowed employers to have better-trained employees to better compete," said Michael Harris, the program’s director.
A surcharge on unemployment taxes -- paid by employers throughout the state -- provides the program with its money. Unemployment taxes vary from employer to employer and year to year, but it averages out to about $2 per employee.
With the training, Boothe said his company will be able to expand the services it offers. It also gives Valerus the ability to hire new employees with little or no experience and bring them up to speed quickly.
Valerus began operations four years ago in Texas with just six employees. It now has 1,100 workers and multiple locations.
"Our growth has been pretty phenomenal," he said. "We have a need for new employees."
Valerus built its Houma facility at 123 Equity Blvd about a year and a half ago and has plans to build a new 24,000-square foot facility in Iberia Parish.
For information about the Incumbent Worker Training Program and its grant program, log onto www.laworks.net.
