New report upbeat on career training

The Arkansas Career Pathways Initiative saw another year of success.

The program, which started in 2005, is a partnership between several agencies, including the state Department of Higher Education and Department of Workforce Services, and is run by Arkansas Community Colleges.

It seeks to educate low-income students who are also parents and give them career training for a highwage, high-skilled job. The program also provides social support services, such as transportation, child care vouchers and career coaching.

The report released Friday found that every dollar invested in the initiative had a return of $1.79 to taxpayers over five years, the release states. The finding suggests a successful way to end a cycle of poverty, it said.

According to the study, black participants had a 45.2 percent success rate, almost three times the rate of black students who did not participate. Hispanic students taking part in the program had about quadruple the success rates of those who did not, the study found.

“The results for [minority-group] students are particularly impressive,” said Maria Markham, the Higher Education Department director. “This is clear evidence that investing in programs like [the Career Pathways Initiative] that serve nontraditional students is good for Arkansas as a whole. This achievement demonstrates the impact that student success can have on the lives of Arkansans.”

The average participant is 31 years old, a woman and a single parent, the release said.