20 workforce programs get money from state

Twenty workforce-training programs involving new collaborations between colleges, employers and high schools have been awarded state grants totaling approximately $15.7 million.

Set to begin this fall term are robotics classes and computer-programming courses at Fort Smith-area secondary schools, with teaching done by University of Arkansas-Fort Smith faculty. In September, a yearlong pre-apprenticeship program in plumbing and electrical work for Malvern-area high school students will begin at the College of the Ouachitas.

At other sites across the state, initiatives vary by start date, format and skills taught, with most including courses for young learners.

“Generally, the approach on all of these proposals and in the guidelines for the grant program was that

these would be educational pathways that could begin in high school,” said Brett Powell, director of the state Department of Higher Education.

No enrollment projection exists for the entire Regional Workforce Grant Program, Powell said. Enrollment estimates included in grant applications for individual programs ranged mostly from several dozen to a few hundred.

Grants to colleges and universities varied from about $350,000 to nearly $1 million. Powell emphasized the role of employers in shaping the new training opportunities.

“Each of those proposals are intended to address the needs in a specific workforce region,” Powell said, referring to geographic designations overseen by the state Department of Workforce Services.

“There’s 10 regions around the state, so within that region, what are the most pressing employer needs? Really, the best way to find that is to go ask the employers.”

Several employers also agreed to donate equipment to aid with the training. Baxter, a medical-product maker in Mountain Home, will donate equipment valued at $1.9 million, according to a grant application.

“Baxter Healthcare is strongly committed to the creation of a technically skilled pipeline of qualified employees,” Kelly Lucas, a human resources manager, wrote in a letter supporting an initiative led by Arkansas State University-Mountain Home, a two-year college.

The school’s plan includes hiring a recruiter for greater outreach to adults in need of basic skills training, enrolling secondary students eligible for dual credit and creating an associate degree in mechatronics, which is a multidisciplinary field of engineering that combines electronics and mechanical engineering. It is also leading a separate effort focused on computer programming and mobile application development.

Other employers said they would help with opportunities for students. Family farmer Tommy Young wrote a letter of support for an agriculture-technology program led by two-year college Arkansas State University-Newport, offering to take on internships and help students with projects by providing access to farmland.

State legislators last year unanimously passed the Workforce Initiative Act of 2015, establishing a fund within the state Department of Higher Education to create the training programs. In October, the department announced 21 Regional Workforce Planning grants totaling more than $1.4 million.

This week, the department published a list of grant recipients selected by the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet, which includes Powell and leaders from four other state agencies.

The group declined a proposal from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff for a program to boost science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in Jefferson County.

“We plan to reapply, because

State legislators last year unanimously passed the Workforce Initiative Act of 2015, establishing a fund within the state Department of Higher Education to create the training programs. In October, the department announced 21 Regional Workforce Planning grants totaling more than $1.4 million.

we know there’s a great need in this area for additional workforce education,” said Mary Benjamin, the university’s vice chancellor for research, innovation and economic development.

Some grant recipients emphasized that high school students need more career-focused education.

“Pathways need to be established, especially for students who do not wish to receive a bachelor’s degree, that will allow a student to progress as quickly as possible toward a career,” stated an application from Rich Mountain Community College in Mena, describing western Arkansas as among the poorest regions in the United States.

That school’s initiative offers certificates in welding as well as medical billing and coding, with the programs designed to be completed during the summer after a participant’s senior year of high school.

The UA-Fort Smith-based robotics initiative expects to enroll 66 students in its first year, with more students joining the three-year sequence of courses in future years, said Kim Gordon, UAFS interim director of regional workforce grants.

On-site instruction is planned at schools in Fort Smith, Charleston and Greenwood.

A separate program in cyber systems at Alma, Van Buren and Fort Smith schools should improve the online-only instruction offered in computer science, Gordon said.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson last year signed into law a mandate that schools statewide begin teaching computer programming, citing benefits to the state’s workforce. However, “a lot of the schools we have talked to have not been very successful,” Gordon said, noting difficulties with online-only attempts at instruction.

Students will receive college credit in the programs led by UAFS, which received nearly $2 million in state grants, the most of any school in the program.

The training allows students to receive certificates of proficiency. Students may also use their credits toward a bachelor’s degree.

Both of the UAFS programs will be tuition-free for students, but school districts next academic year are expected to contribute to the cost.

In Malvern, a once-a-week evening class later supplemented by some Saturday training will prepare high school students for plumbing and electrician apprenticeships with employers, said Matt Cummings, College of the Ouachitas apprenticeship coordinator.

“It’s completely free for the student,” Cummings said.

Powell said a round of continuation funding will take place in two years, but proposals were evaluated in part based on sustainability beyond the grant period.

Powell said the programs are evaluated for their ability to continue without outside funding and whether they generate student interest.

However, “what would be ideal is that over the next four years that they are able to completely eliminate any employment gaps in the critical areas that they’re addressing,” Powell said.