Alaija Thomas set a goal to always be her own boss, to work for herself – and to master as many skills and give herself as many options as she can to ensure she can do just that.
It’s why she recently began training in electrical work through a workforce development partnership between Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) and Hope St. Rose. Thomas, a St. Rose native, is one of several students participating in the program, which aims at training homegrown talent in St. Charles Parish for well-paying, skilled local jobs.
Thomas, a graduate of Destrehan High School in the Class of 2024, likes to stay busy. At the age of just 13 years old, she made the decision to start her own creative business called TopPressure, offering creative, graphic design and photography-related services. She’s turned her passion into something far more.
But she didn’t want to stop there.
“My whole goal is to be a, is to be an entrepreneur,” Thomas said. “So, while I’m young and I have the opportunities, the health and the time to do it, I just want to do everything, learn about all of the careers I’ve considered. And a trade was one of them because I didn’t really want to go to college. I wanted to learn a trade, and learn something that is out of the ordinary for a lot of women.
“(Electrical work) is kind of looked at as basically a man’s job, but I like building things and getting my hands dirty.”
Thomas said that thus far, the classes she’s taken have focused primarily on safety.
“We’re learning like all the different things that can happen and the stuff that’s not supposed to mix,” said Thomas. “All of the codes you need to know … electrical work can be a very dangerous field and anything can happen at any time, so they’re preparing us for that.”
Claire Obgartel, Vice President of Workforce Development at Associated Builders & Contractors, said the program offers electrical instrumentation, welding, pipe fitting, and carpentry. ABC partners with local organizations like Hope St. Rose, as well as local schools and IMTT.
“So, with Hope St. Rose, if a St. Rose resident shows an interest in learning a skill like electrical or welding instrumentation, IMTT pays for them to go to school and train,” said Nettles.
She said each course combines a classroom/book portion of training with hands-on field work.
“We’re training them in both the commercial aspect and industrial aspect of the electrical craft,” Nettles said. “And with welding, it’s about two weeks of classroom work but the rest of the time, it’s hands on, in the booth, learning how to weld.”
Nettles said the partnership with Hope St. Rose has been ongoing since 2023.
“They’re going to learn a craft that they can utilize in the industries that’s here in St. Rose and St. Charles Parish. That’s one of the reasons IMTT partners with Hope St. Rose, they’re trying to grow their workforce from their community … they can go in and directly work for the plants or work for the contractors that are working in these plants. And it’s a lifetime skill. We’ve seen students move into leadership positions just from the training that they have and being the type of worker that that company needs,” Nettles said.
This isn’t Thomas’ first time working with Hope St. Rose. In fact, the nonprofit’s logo is her design. Thomas has been recognized by the St. Charles Parish Council for her efforts as a young entrepreneur and for her logo design work for Hope St. Rose.
“I just thought about like symbols of hope and started brainstorming,” Thomas said. “And they ended up going with what I designed.”
Thomas said she loves to learn new things – diving into electrical work is just another example of it.
“I’ve always taught myself,” Thomas said. “I ask around. I watch YouTube and research whatever it is I want to know about. My teachers and the adults in my life would always tell me, ‘consistency is key.’ And I’ve kind of lived by it. I’d get up at 6 a.m., go to school, go take pictures at football practice, go to work, get home at 11 at night and study, do my homework, edit my pictures … and by the next morning, it was done. I was tired, but it was done.”
