Students at Nunez Community College in Chalmette are training for aerospace technology careers through a program that has been in place since 2018, as SpaceX prepares to bring thousands of jobs to Louisiana.
“We’ve had this program since 2018 and have trained more than 300 students so far,” said Reggie Poche with Nunez CC.
The program, featuring state-of-the-art equipment, is designed to prepare students for the growing demand in the aerospace industry.
“If there is a need of aerospace technician, we are supplying that workforce,” said Poche.
SpaceX’s arrival in Louisiana is expected to create as many as 10,000 jobs over the next decade, and students like Sean are taking notice.
“It’s a great start if anyone is interested,” Sean said.
When SpaceX announced its Louisiana project in August, Gov. Jeff Landry said the project would move forward rapidly.
However, questions remain about the status of permits for construction, roads, and power.
Records show SpaceX is working with a Lafayette-based company to apply for permits, with three major permits submitted to the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy in late September.
These permits focus on construction related to roads, bridges, and wharves to facilitate the movement of heavy equipment into the Pecan Island region, as seen in drone footage.
None of the permits have been approved yet, but the scope of the project is significant.
The permits include plans for major industrial work, dredging, pilings, and bulkhead/backfill work.
One permit specifies the need for a “heavy-haul road connection to the state highway system, for oversized, overweight and bulk cargo that cannot be practically moved on the existing public road.”
“It seems pretty much what they would need to start work, so they have a lot of work ahead of them before they get ready to launch anything,” said Dr. Norma Jean Mattei.
Mattei, who previously led LSU New Orleans’ civil engineering department, reviewed the permits and said they appear to be properly filed.
“I do not see anything in the permit that jumps out to me as cause for concern,” Mattei said.
The permitting process will include a public comment period, likely in Vermilion Parish, though the timeline for this is not yet known.
Some residents have expressed concerns about transparency.
“The people should be able to decide if this is a good deal or a bad deal,” said William Most, a New Orleans-based lawyer.
Most is suing Vermilion Parish, alleging a lack of transparency and public input before the project’s August launch.
He claims the parish concealed details by using code words instead of directly referencing SpaceX.
“This is part of a pattern that apparently flows from the governor’s office that seems designed to keep the citizens of Louisiana from knowing about what is going on in their state until after it’s decided,” Most said.
The governor’s office denies these allegations and pointed to a Louisiana Economic Development website addressing questions and concerns about the SpaceX project.
The site states that all new power lines will be paid for by SpaceX, unavoidable impacts to coastal wetlands must be mitigated, and the state and SpaceX are still negotiating who will fund expanded roads.
The Louisiana Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, said it has not yet received applications for new transmission lines or generation plants to power SpaceX.
“Unfortunately, we still have not heard of any plans yet to power SpaceX at the commission. No utility has made an application for building new transmission lines or generation plants,” said Commissioner Davante Lewis.
Construction is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2027, less than a year from now.
Meanwhile, back at Nunez Community College, students are eager to join the industry.
“Students are learning electrical assembly, blueprint reading, and welding so they can develop that baseline skill set so they can go into the industry,” said Poche.
READ MORE:SpaceX project in Louisiana raises questions as students prepare for aerospace jobs
