Employers are hiring in coastal Louisiana, especially as offshore drilling picks up in the Gulf of Mexico. Companies are concerned about finding enough skilled workers in a locally tight labor market. For mariners, a variety of training programs at different levels and costs are offered in south Louisiana. For those businesses without the significant wherewithal and training resources of a Kirby Corporation, for example, there are other viable options for training. Fletcher Technical Community College: The college’s Louisiana Marine and Petroleum Institute or LaMPI was founded in the late 1970s to provide local maritime training. The institute provides Coast Guard-approved courses to about 2,200 mariners a year now. Fletcher and LaMPI are located in Houma on the Louisiana Gulf.