ROGERS -- The path to a good job and a fulfilling career doesn't necessarily go through college, one of the messages that resonated Tuesday during a symposium on education and the economy.
"You've got to make sure kids know the full range of opportunities available in the Arkansas economy," said Randy Zook, president of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, during his keynote address.
EYE to the Future
Tuesday’s “EYE to the Future” symposium was offered by the Northwest Arkansas P-20 Task Force, a creation of the University of Arkansas Education Renewal Zone in the College of Education and Health Professions and the Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative. The task force is made up of representatives of five institutions of higher education and several local school districts. The University of Arkansas Razor COACH program, also based in the College of Education and Health Professions, was a third sponsor of the symposium.
Source: Staff report
The symposium, titled "EYE to the Future: Education, Youth and the Economy," attracted more than 125 people, a mix of mostly teachers, school administrators and business people. The goal of the event was to give attendees a chance to discuss and collaborate on educational initiatives and programs in Northwest Arkansas. It included speeches, breakout sessions and a panel discussion.
Zook said about 575,000 jobs will be created in Arkansas over the next 10 years. Only about 25 percent of them will require a four-year baccalaureate degree or more, he said.
There's a need for about 10,000 diesel technicians in Arkansas alone, he said. That's just one example of a career field in high demand.
Though there are many people who are unemployed, there are thousands of good jobs in Arkansas unfilled because people don't have the right skills, he said.
Mike Harvey, chief operating officer at the Northwest Arkansas Council, reiterated that notion with some statistics. In an annual survey the council does of the business community, 54 percent of business leaders said they are having recruiting problems.
When asked whether they attributed those problems to the community or their industry, 56 percent identified the community. Another 6 percent identified both community and their industry, Harvey said.
That's alarming because area businesses could move to places where they can more easily find qualified workers, he said.
Harvey and others also noted the importance of teaching kids "soft skills" such as showing up on time, greeting others in a professional manner, and communicating with co-workers and customers.
Charles Cudney, director of the Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative, said he doesn't think he's ever seen a time when local school districts have been more focused on career and technical education.
High school students typically are made to think they have two options after graduation: college or career, but the conversation really should be just about careers, Cudney said. College may be necessary for a certain career, "But it's really a means to an end," he said.
Debbie Jones, an assistant commissioner at the state Department of Education, said when the public schools want to try new things, they don't face the obstacles they once did. She invited school administrators to contact her if they had any problems getting around a state regulation to do what they want to do.
Six breakout session options were available to symposium participants. In one session, officials from the Pea Ridge and Siloam Springs school districts discussed their partnerships with area businesses to provide students skills relevant to certain careers.
Pea Ridge just completed its first year with a conversion charter school called the Pea Ridge Manufacturing and Business Academy, a two-year program at the high school giving students real-world exposure to certain career paths. Students and some representatives of businesses that work closely with the program were on hand to discuss it.
In Siloam Springs, industry partners have donated more than $1 million for a Career Academy that will be built at the high school. It will teach manufacturing trade skills such as industrial maintenance, welding, hydraulics and electronics.
Ken Stuckey is director of talent acquisition and development for Pace Industries, which is based in Fayetteville and employs about 3,500 people in the U.S. and Mexico. The company does custom aluminum die casting.
Stuckey, who attended the symposium, congratulated Pea Ridge and Siloam Springs for starting their programs. Pace Industries makes presentations at junior high schools in an attempt to promote student interest in the company's field, he said.
"It's a challenge to find skilled workers," Stuckey said. "There's basically a war among the companies for talent. We're all looking for the same kind of people."
At another breakout session, representatives of the business community and the schools talked about their efforts to engage students in leadership programs.
Steve Clark, president of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, and Ashley McClarty, principal of Fayetteville's Washington Elementary School, talked about the Leader in Me program instituted at the school five years ago with help from the chamber. The program is based on Stephen Covey's book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
The program, which promotes the notion anyone can be a leader, is "changing the face of Fayetteville," Clark said.
NW News on 06/10/2015