Arkansas Secretary of Education Johnny Key spoke to attendees November 19 as the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce hosted educators and industry professionals for its Large Industry Council (LIC) and K2J (Kindergarten to Job) Connect Program.

Developing Talent Pipelines for World Class Businesses
One key focus area of the Chamber’s mission-work is Economic Development. Our work develops talent pipelines required for local world class businesses’ current and future workforce needs. It all starts with connecting local educators with industry to collaborate on problems and solutions.

K2J Connect is one example of the Chamber’s programming designed to bring industries and educators together to talk about workforce needs and brainstorm how to get the next generation interested in careers and fields that have hiring needs. The program also includes a Parents Forum where parents hear about the workforce issues in our area and learn about current and future career opportunities for themselves and their children. A typical K2J Connect event will have educators from at least ten different school districts and employers from a variety of industries and fields.

Identifying Workforce Problems and Solutions
College deans, district coordinators, principals, teachers, HR managers, and hiring managers attended the event. These educators asked questions to the industry representatives about workforce problems that they are facing and how the local education system could help address those needs.

Industry representatives talked about needs and skill gaps in our community and provided suggestions on how the school system could highlight skilled labor as a career option for students.

Discussions also focused on better connecting industry and education by allowing industries into classrooms more frequently to present career opportunities to students.

“Workforce development and talent pipelines continue to be the number one issue facing employers not just in Northwest Arkansas but across the country,” said Chamber SVP of Economic Development Steve Cox. “Working to address these issues using multiple approaches such as connecting school districts with local employers and larger initiatives with the Arkansas Department of Education will help close talent gaps faster and ensure that the workforce of today and the future are best prepared for viable career pathways and area employers are able to have continued success.”

Advancing Education Initiatives in Arkansas
Secretary Key highlighted several areas that the Arkansas Department of Education is working on to advance student success. Some of Key’s talking points included:

• Arkansas ranks fifth in the nation in pre-K access for three-year-olds and is above the national average for four-year-olds
• Some student subgroups, like Hispanic students, have made significant gains in reading
• The state’s schools for the blind and deaf have continued to educate students with commitment and care
• Since 2010, high school graduation rates have increased dramatically, from 77% to almost 88%
• Statewide initiatives around literacy, computer science, PLCs, SEL, and COVID response have positively impacted students and families
• Arkansas has been a national leader in emphasizing career readiness and labor market alignment in its Career & Technical Education (CTE) programs

Key discussed the Arkansas Career Coach Program that has helped Arkansas rank 10^th in the nation in Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completions over the past year. Future growth plans for the program feature goals such as:

• Targeting non-participating schools traditionally served by community colleges
• Targeting colleges currently not offering a career coach program
• Targeting institutions in geographic areas without a career coach program
• Increasing visibility and promotion of the program through advertising, partnerships, and presentations

ACT WorkKeys Assessment Promotes Career Readiness
The ACT WorkKeys Assessment was approved by the State Board of Education to meet Arkansas Act 319 of 2021, which leads to a nationally recognized work-readiness certificate. Just like ACT measures college readiness, WorkKeys measures career readiness and prepares students with access to curricular support to develop workplace skills. Key says the expectation is that students in grades 10-12 have the opportunity to earn this certificate before they graduate high school.

Schools are currently working on their plan of implementation and are beginning to implement the curriculum. A few schools have even tested. Most districts will test students during the 2022 Spring window to allow time to train staff members and student preparation.

For questions on this workforce development program or anything related to economic development, contact Cox at [email protected].