Colleges and universities statewide soon will have in hand a set of guidelines for a grant program that aims to raise the ante on workforce development.
Arkansas Department of Higher Education Director Brett Powell said he plans to send out the guidelines to all higher-education institutions — public and private — this week. The state’s Higher Education Coordinating Board approved the guidelines in a Friday meeting.
The department also is planning a Web seminar later this month to help higher-education leaders get a better grasp on the Regional Workforce Grant Program process, Powell said.
The grant program is a part of the Workforce Initiative Act backed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Under the program, colleges and universities will partner with other state agencies and turn in competitive applications for grants for workforce development and regional economic development.
“Our role is to help with coordination … and making sure we’re meeting the right needs,” Powell said. “The priority here is on reaching students that aren’t necessarily going to college and providing them a pathway on gaining the skills they need to be a productive part of the workforce.”
The department would disburse grant funds in three phases. The first will give up to $100,000 to applicants for planning purposes. The second phase would give up to $1 million during a two-year period for implementation, and the third phase includes up to another $1 million to continue successful programs from the second-phase recipients.
State legislators have set aside about $2 million in general improvement funds for the first phase, he said. The last two phases have not been funded yet.
News of the grant program has already set the wheels in motion for some higher-education officials, who are hoping for consistent funding for workforce development. State funding for career and technical education has largely depended on who’s leading the state, and many education officials have had to look elsewhere for continued funding, they said.
The grant program also comes as many of the colleges and universities in the state are facing enrollment declines, and subsequently, less revenue from tuition and fees. That revenue stream, along with state funding — which remained flat from last year to this year — and private donations are the primary sources of an institution’s income.
Diane Hampton, the vice president of institutional advancement at Mid-South Community College, said the West Memphis college will begin discussions about possible partnerships and funding opportunities once the guidelines are released. The college is already part of the Arkansas Delta Training and Education Consortium, a group of five community colleges in eastern Arkansas that aims to address the workforce development needs in the Delta.
Bentley Wallace, vice president for economic development at Pulaski Technical College, said he didn’t know what the college’s grant proposal would look like. The 8,321-student college could go at the application process alone, or it may partner with other community colleges in central Arkansas to form a consortium, he said.
Pulaski Tech staff members will meet with other colleges in the area to get a sense of their interest in a group effort, he said.
The guidelines mandate colleges and universities have representation from “mandatory partners” in the project application process, including a secondary center that awards concurrent credit courses and employers representing critical needs in the region. For the planning grant application, institutions must submit a commitment letter from each partner and the local workforce development board.
The board also will determine labor needs, identifying the current and future skills gaps employers face in the region.
“Really the benefit for us is the opportunity to partner more with employers in the region, to suit their needs, to expand existing business and keep existing business,” Wallace said, adding that workforce development is at the heart of what community colleges do. “Anytime there’s an opportunity for funding … the benefit is that we improve the product we can deliver to our employer partners, and our collective economies are improved.”
Many community colleges already have advisory boards, made up of state employers, that review programs to align them with job market needs. Still, there are many unfilled jobs in the state, mostly because of a lack of communication, said Scott Hardin, spokesman for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.
“The alignment of K-12, postsecondary and local employers through this program will result in a workforce that is trained in the specific areas required by companies,” he said. “Through improved communication, employers in each region can share their needs with those in the education community who can create and implement appropriate training programs.”
The colleges and universities have until Aug. 1 to submit intent forms, while the planning-grant proposals will be due Sept. 1. A panel made up of representatives from state agencies, including the Economic Development Commission and the state Department of Career Education, will ultimately decide to whom the grants will be awarded.
The groups will hear back from the Higher Education Department by Oct. 1, and planning funds will be disbursed Nov. 1 and March 1. Implementation will begin in fall 2016.
Hardin applauded the program, saying it would target specific needs of a region instead of using a one-size-fits-all approach. Area businesses are the source of most of the available jobs in the state, he added.
“The biggest need is not necessarily in one industry, but … companies must start focusing on the fact a large percentage of the workforce plan on retiring over the next several years,” he said. “Arkansas’ companies need to start developing succession plans in order to address this issue before it arrives.”