Arkansas has established a State priority in workforce development in two- and four-year colleges as well as technical institutions. These entities work with local business and industry to meet existing and new workforce needs. More than 90 percent of the state’s population lives within a 30-mile radius of one of these institutions.
Fayetteville’s University of Arkansas is Arkansas’ leader in higher education. In 2002, the University of Arkansas, received $300 million from the Walton Family Foundation, at that time the largest gift ever to a public university, which was leveraged in their successful Campaign for the Twenty-first Century achieving their $1 Billion goal by 2005. These funds have enabled investments in student programs, faculty and staff development, and infrastructure improvement. The University of Arkansas’ Sam M. Walton College of Business is ranked in the nation’s top 25 public business colleges.
The Two-Year College Association, relying on extensive employer involvement, developed a Workforce Readiness Curriculum to support businesses. In addition, Arkansas offers many opportunities for workforce training programs. The Department of Economic Development (ADED) is the home of a network of workforce training sites and the Workforce Investment Board coordinates one-stop centers. These centers can tailor programs around local industry needs and classes can be located and scheduled at the request of the employer.
Employment by Industry, Q1 2011
Employment by Occupation, Q4 2010
Source: US Department of Labor, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages