BATON ROUGE — A 40-hour scaffolding certification course is being hosted by Laborers' Local 99 this week. 

The training is happening at Local 99's union hall on Government Street in Baton Rouge. 

On Wednesday, there was hands-on training for workers to become eligible for upcoming nuclear and industrial maintenance projects in Louisiana and Mississippi. 

Scaffold erection, the union said, is among the highest-risk tasks on an industrial worksite and certification is required.

"And we're doing this training in anticipation of all the work that is coming down the pipe; everybody's local here, so when you see a laborer on the job you know they're homegrown, they're local," Chris LaFleur, business manager for Laborers' Local 99, said.

The union said it is preparing for increased demand for workers to participate in big projects like data centers and the Hyundai Steel mill in Ascension Parish.

Learn more about Local 99 here.