Professional & IT Services

The North Louisiana Tech Ecosystem includes a vibrant network of industry, talent, community and infrastructure. Business Facilities ranked Louisiana as the second-best state in the nation for its tech talent pipeline in 2024. The North Louisiana Tech Ecosystem is anchored by the National Cyber Research Park, a 3,000-acre overlay district in the Shreveport-Bossier City MSA. The National Cyber Research Park is home to General Dynamics Information Technology, the Cyber Innovation Center, Louisiana Tech Research Institute, and Bossier Parish Community College – a designated National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. North Louisiana is an excellent location for entities in need of highly skilled technology professionals.

Contact the Expert

Sheena Bryant, CEcD, EDFP

Business Development Strategy Vice President

Phone: 318-677-2558
Phone: sbryant@nlep.org

Major Employers

Workforce

North Louisiana boasts a well-established educational ecosystem dedicated to growing the technology workforce. The presence of seven regional higher education institutions offering technology-related certificate and degree programs, industry-specific incentives, and a skilled talent pool exiting Barksdale Airforce Base build a consistent pipeline of talent.

Not only do our key employers leverage this network to capture a skilled workforce at a lower cost, but our workforce development partners encourage employer feedback to ensure the region develops a future workforce with the appropriate skills. When General Dynamics IT established its Integrated Technology Center at the National Cyber Research Park, Louisiana Tech University, Bossier Parish Community College, and Northwestern State University responded by scaling up graduates in their IT programs and customizing their curricula to meet company-specific needs. Their response received international recognition by the International Economic Development Council.

“A bevy of tech-focused economic development initiatives and incentives, such as the Small Business Innovation and Research grant match program, have firmly established Louisiana as a standout state for tech companies across all sectors to develop or expand. Meanwhile, investment into the Cyber Corridor in the northern part of the state is drawing academia, industry, and government resources and supporting the demand for talent in cybersecurity. Backed by the full array of the state’s workforce programs, the tech talent pipeline in Louisiana has nowhere to go but up.”