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Trained Graduates Transition Seamlessly to Shop Floor

About

Begun in 1996, SSE Steel Fabrication (formerly known as Southern Services & Equipment, Inc.) (SSE) is the authority in Louisiana for steel fabrication, combining excellence in quality with automation and robotic processing. Located in St. Bernard, Louisiana, a short distance from New Orleans, SSE has a 20,000 square foot metal fabrication facility, as well as a 2-acre blast and paint yard and a 10-acre laydown yard. SSE is a versatile, large capacity, full-service facility for steel fabrication, forming, welding, design, and support, as well as product assembly, painting, blasting and finishing. SSE is certified by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) as a certified fabricator, with an endorsement in bridge component manufacturing. 

The Challenge

SSE Steel Fabrication recently received contracts from an electric car manufacturing company located in Austin, Texas, to help build and expand their existing production facilities. SSE Steel Fabrication was in need of forklift and aerial lift training for several of their employees to meet the new contract requirements. Nunez Community College, a regional partner of MEPOL, part of the MEP National Network™, was able to provide highly-skilled graduates of their lift training programs.

Nunez Community College MEP of LA has been a valuable partner for us and the community. We have hired many graduates of Nunez and find them to be well-trained and capable. We are pleased to continue working with Nunez Community College MEP of LA in the future.

— Mindy Nunez Airhart, Owner & CEO

MEP's Role

Forklift/aerial lift training is a key component of the manufacturing process at SSE Steel Fabrication. SE Steel Fabrication is an industrial construction fabricator, which means the parts SE Steel Fabrication produces require multiple lifts during the production process, including placement on trucks for shipment. They make girders for building and other civil construction. 

Over the years, SSE Steel Fabrication has hired over two dozen employees from Nunez Community College. SSE Steel Fabrication estimates there are at least 5-6 current employees who are graduates of the welding program at Nunez Community College.  SSE Steel Fabrication is proud to partner with Nunez Community College and the MEP of Louisiana. This collaboration ensures they have a steady stream of talented welders ready to contribute from day one. Per SSE Steel Fabrication, every graduate they bring on board is exceptionally trained thanks to Nunez Community College’s rigorous training and dedication to quality education. The SSE Steel Fabrication team is grateful for their commitment to excellence in workforce development! The expectation is their sales volumes should rise next year as well.

Created July 3, 2024