CMT partnering with 2 schools in state to amp up workforce education

A still-to-be-determined country music artist will be putting on a concert in Fort Smith at a still-to-be-determined location and time next year.

Details on the show, hosted by Country Music Television (CMT), are vague. That information, though, is arguably the least important part of a recently announced partnership between the network and the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.

UAFS, along with Rich Mountain Community College in Mena, is among 15 colleges and postsecondary institutions selected by CMT as part of its Empowering Education initiative. Workforce development is the ultimate goal of the program, and if you're entertained by whatever artist visits, and if CMT gets some additional publicity, that's just fine with the folks involved.

CMT, in addition to the concert, will host a regional workforce development education program for high schools, local industries and nonprofit groups. They'll partner with the schools to develop print, radio and TV ad campaigns.

Talk to anyone involved in economic development and they'll stress to you the importance of creating more skilled workers. Finding ways to better grow the workforce in Arkansas was, you might recall, part of how the private option got passed in the state.

We try not to get too political here with Business Matters, but I bring up Sen. Jane English (R-North Little Rock) -- casting the deciding vote for health care changes in exchange for the state pledging to do more for workforce development -- only to illustrate how important the topic of workplace development is for Arkansas. It's a big deal everywhere, of course, and the state wants to make sure it is well-positioned to compete for jobs.

Ken Warden, dean of the College of Applied Science and Technology at UAFS, cites a 2014 Harvard Business study when noting that 25 million jobs will be created in the U.S. between 2010 and 2020. Of those jobs, nearly 50 percent would fall into the middle skills range, including manufacturing and computer technology.

Closer to home the Northwest Arkansas Council and local chambers of commerce have been surveying businesses the past few years to see what they consider the top limiting factors to growth. Lack of skilled labor in the region -- folks who occupy those middle skills jobs -- is often the primary concern for potential job creators.

Survey businesses in the River Valley or central and northeast Arkansas and you'll have a very similar conversation. Companies want to know they have an available workforce before they commit to expanding in or relocating to an area.

Fort Smith, and certainly the rural communities nearby, could use additional job opportunities. Particularly those not tied to four-year degrees.

Four-year degree attainment is about 21 percent in the state of Arkansas. It's close to 19 percent for Sebastian County and dips below 15 percent in the rural communities in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma that UAFS services.

Unemployment in Fort Smith was 5.4 percent when the most recent numbers were released at the end of September. That's slightly above the national rate of 5.1 percent and in line with the unemployment rate for the state. It does rank behind Northwest Arkansas (3.6 percent) and Texarkana (4.4) percent.

UAFS, which transitioned to a four-year college more than a decade ago but still offers two-year degrees and one-year certification programs, has a strong track record for job placement. Warden notes that 85 percent of its graduates find employment. Those figures are across the board for four-, two- and one-year graduates.

Recently the school was awarded a pair of grants from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education focused on automation and robotics, and data analytics and data science. Those are rapidly growing fields where the state needs better equipped employees.

These were selling points for UAFS when CMT was reviewing applications.

Getting more people interested in those programs, including four-year degree completion, is where CMT comes in. The network is using its cachet with a segment of its viewers and its considerable marketing expertise to help encourage more students to enroll in places like UAFS or Rich Mountain Community College.

As CMT's senior director of public affairs explains in a recent blog post for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce: "We are proud to be able to use CMT's communication vehicles to connect our viewers to a resource where they can explore new opportunities for themselves, their friends or their family members."

Getting more people to enroll at Rich Mountain Community College or UAFS is certainly good for those institutions. They reap the benefits of additional tuition and student fees, and all the ways that colleges can make money from having more students.

There is a potential economic development benefit to the region where UAFS operates. Arkansas as a whole arguably benefits as well.

Plus, who can't appreciate a free concert?

If you have a tip, call Chris Bahn at (479) 365-2972 or email him at cbahn@nwaonline.com.

SundayMonday Business on 11/01/2015

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