Northwest Arkansas has experienced tremendous job and population growth over the past 20 years. Workforce education and skilled labor supply are key workforce development issues regionally and nationally. The Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce is committed to fulfilling the workforce and talent pipeline needs for the region as part of its Economic Development mission-work.

Aligning Curriculum to Needed Job Skills
We’re working hard to align curriculum with needed job skills to ensure continued growth of our area. One of our programs is the K2J (Kindergarten-to-Job) Connect that brings area educators together with local manufacturers to discuss and learn more about needed job skills and to showcase what modern manufacturing careers are all about.

Our Large Industry Council (LIC) is a committee comprised of larger industrial companies and businesses in Northwest Arkansas. The council consists of plant managers, CEOs, CFOs, general managers and human resources managers of business and industry with a minimum of 100 employees and help us better understand their issues and needs.

Northwest Arkansas is also known for its outstanding private and public educational institutions. We partner with organizations like the Rogers Public Schools and NorthWest Arkansas Community College to help promote their education programs that enable students to understand, choose and prepare for careers with job skills that our local businesses need.

March LIC/K2J Meeting Helps Employers Recruit and Engage Workers
The March LIC/K2J meeting featured a presentation from Judith Tavano, a Human Resources professional with genMatters and expert on understanding generational differences, preferences, and work styles to help employers better recruit and engage workers. She discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted each generation and how those impacts translate to the workplace causing us to re-think everything from recruiting and retention strategies, to workplace well-being, the employment of previously untapped talent, and the workforce of the future.

Learn more here.