Following years of steady growth, SOWELA Technical Community College saw an explosive 21 percent increase in enrollment between 2012 to 2013 as more students flocked to the institution for coursework and training in high-demand fields. The Southwest Louisiana economy has boomed recently—particularly in aerospace, advanced manufacturing and energy—and SOWELA has responded with relevant curriculum programs and strong industry partnerships. Act 360 includes two key projects, which supports the SOWELA expansion to meet demands.

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One of the new projects is the new SOWELA Culinary, Gaming, & Hospitality Center that will house the following programs‐ Culinary Arts, Accounting, Business Administration, Information Systems Technology, and Office Systems. The new facility is anticipated to provide but not limited to computer labs, lecture classrooms, workforce flex lab for gaming, front desk/hotel rooms, baking lab, hot foots lab, dining room with meal service line and full‐service kitchen, Chancellor’s dining room, storage room, cafe/pastry area, commissary area with a loading dock in culinary arts area (1 large walking cooler and 1 large walk‐in freezer), laundry room with commercial washer and dryer, student lounge area, faculty offices, and administrative areas.