If your teen isn’t headed to a four-year college—or if they’re unsure what’s next—there’s a solid, local option worth looking into.

The North Baton Rouge Industrial Training Initiative(NBRITI) is a free program through BRCC that helps young adults get certified in high-demand skilled trades. We’re talking welding, pipefitting, electrical work, millwrighting, instrumentation, and process technology—fields where employers are actively hiring, and the starting pay is often better than what you'd find after earning a degree.

The program has been around since 2012 and is a partnership between Baton Rouge Community College and ExxonMobil. There’s no tuition, and graduates earn industry-recognized certifications like NCCER and AWS. Process tech students also walk away with a Certificate of Technical Studies from BRCC.

It starts with a 75-hour core course covering safety, tools, blueprint reading, and basic construction math. Then students move into hands-on training for the craft they’ve chosen. The goal is straightforward: get them ready for a real job, with real skills.

Applications are open now for the next class, which begins August 25. There’s an open house on April 29 from 4:30–6:30 p.m. at the Acadian Campus if you want to check it out.

The deadline to apply is May 31. You can find everything you need at mybrcc.edu/nbriti.