The Ben D Johnson Educational Center

Overview
Headquarters: 
Natchitoches, LA, USA
Website: 
bdjcenter.org
Size: 
1-10 employees
Founded: 
2019
Annual Budget : 
$100-500,000
Areas of Focus: 
Education
Employment
Populations Served: 
Low Income
African-American
All Populations
About Us
Mission: 

The Ben D. Johnson Educational Center’s mission is to build community in Natchitoches and give access to social and economic success to all its residents.

Programs: 

  • HiSET and Certification Courses: Via a partnership with Bossier Parish Community College, individuals can obtain their HiSET and a number of Industry-Based Certifications, including Forklift Operation, OSHA-10, and Lean Six Sigma: Yellow Belt. Oftentimes, these certifications allow graduates to negotiate higher starting salaries and increase the local, qualified workforce. 

  • Work Readiness Training Program: As a licensed proprietary school, the BDJ Center prepares students for the workforce through its four-week, cohort-based program. Participants gain professional and socio-emotional competencies and skills through the courses taught curriculum: a mixture of presentations delivered by the program administrator and guest speakers, in addition to a range of activities in simulated work settings. 

  • On-the-Job Training (OJT): Upon work readiness program completion, participants can enter a 3-month on-the-job training program with one of our Employer Partners. During OJT, graduates  receive continued case management support and an hourly wage subsidized by the BDJ Center, as well as the chance to enter into long-term employment at their place of training based on their performance. In return, the Employer Partners gain an eligible, wage-compensated, trained employee. 

Case Management/Supportive Services: Participants in each BDJ program work with the on-site case manager to identify and eliminate their barriers to employment. These include, but are not limited to direct payment assistance for childcare, housing/utilities, and transportation, as well as referrals for untreated mental health needs, parenting classes, and other social services.

Awards & Accolades: 
The BDJ Center is a SNAP Employment & Training provider, a federally funded matching grant program designed to provide program participants “opportunities to gain skills, training, work, or experience that will increase their ability to obtain regular em
Why Work For Us?: 

The Ben D. Johnson Educational (BDJ) Center is a women and BIPOC led organization in Natchitoches, Louisiana that strives for social and economic success for all residents. This work began as the lived mission of Mr. Ben D. Johnson (1910-2005), a self-made business man, philanthropist, and West Natchitoches resident whose holdings in the 1960s represented one of the largest minority-owned enterprises in the state of Louisiana. His niece, Claire Prymus, founded the BDJ Center to honor Ben Johnson’s firmly-held belief in education as the pathway out of poverty and to honor his passion for uplifting his own community, one comprised mainly of low-income, African-American individuals. The BDJ Center carries on Mr. Johnson’s life’s work by preparing individuals for the workforce through its educational and training programs, offering case management services to help increase stability in program participant’s lives, and partnering closely with local employers and businesses to stimulate the Natchitoches economy and better its workforce. 

 

industry: 
Nonprofit