Gov. Sanders outlines workforce strategy

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

Gov. Sarah Sanders outlined Thursday (Feb. 15) a broad strategy for revamping Arkansas’ workforce development efforts.

“Arkansas’ economy is booming, but if we don’t get workers off the sidelines and prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow, we won’t reap the full rewards of that growth,” said Gov. Sanders. “I tasked Mike Rogers and the Workforce Cabinet with making Arkansas a national leader in workforce development. This workforce strategy will guide us toward that goal and help put every Arkansan on the path to a good-paying, valuable career.”

Rogers was named to the new role of Chief Workforce Officer early in Sanders’ administration. She tasked him to lead a workforce cabinet to develop this report.

Gov. Sanders outlines workforce strategy

Trucking industry leader discusses economy, workforce challenges

by Roby Brock (roby@talkbusiness.net)

The president of the Arkansas Trucking Association, Shannon Newton, has seen plenty of ebbs and flows in her career leading and working in the transportation industry.

Economists and trucking executives are calling current industry conditions a “freight recession” which is causing a cyclical adjustment for companies throughout the nation’s supply chain.

“It’s very much like a recession-recession,” Newton said of a freight recession. “I think we’ve defined it kind of as a contraction in the demand over some sort of measurable period. The industry numbers indicate a contraction demand two months in a row. What you see is essentially the freight economy leading the anticipated recession that hasn’t really come.”

https://talkbusiness.net/2023/06/trucking-industry-leader-discusses-economy-workforce-challenges/

U.S. Department of Commerce Awarding $2 Million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance to Support Healthcare and Workforce Training at UA Cossatot

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $2 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to UA Cossatot. This grant supports a Medical Mobile Unit and creates a healthcare simulation lab and telemedicine space at all four campuses. This EDA grant is expected to create 105 jobs.

“President Biden is committed to harnessing the full power of the federal government to ensure our nation not only recovers from this pandemic but builds back stronger,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. “This EDA investment in Cossatot Community College will provide rural communities with access to healthcare and healthcare training programs to prepare students for good-paying, quality jobs.”

“The Economic Development Administration plays an important role in supporting community-led economic development strategies designed to boost coronavirus recovery and response efforts,” said Dennis Alvord, Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. “This EDA investment will create a Wellness Education Learning and Living (WELL) community with a Medical Mobile Unit to provide urgent care and create a healthcare simulation lab and telemedicine space to train workers in high-demand healthcare fields.”

“This grant is a real benefit to rural Arkansas,” said Governor Asa Hutchinson. “The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the need for more healthcare options in rural Arkansas and the benefit of telemedicine. The funds will make a positive impact on the economy and the health of Arkansans.”

“Congress came together in a bipartisan way to pass the CARES Act to strengthen our communities’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent challenges it presents,” said Senator John Boozman. “I am pleased the EDA recognizes the need for expanded health care access and training in Southwest Arkansas and is making this investment to help the region better meet existing and future needs that will also result in more good jobs.”

“Rural America is too often overlooked for federal grants,” said Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04). “That’s why I’m so grateful that the bipartisan CARES Act is making this critical health care investment possible. The residents of De Queen and the students at Cossatot Community College will benefit greatly from the jobs and training opportunities this grant will support. Smart, targeted investment like this greatly aids rural America’s post-pandemic recovery.”

“We feel this grant will impact Medical Education in Southwest Arkansas like nothing ever before, said UA Cossatot Chancellor Dr. Steve Cole. “This WELL grant will allow UA Cossatot to establish four medical simulation/telemedicine labs on each of our four campuses in DeQueen, Lockesburg, Nashville, and Ashdown, two Ambulance Simulators on two campuses, the establishment of a new Medical Lab Technician program, and we will be purchasing a complete mobile medical unit that our medical faculty and students will be using to assist with health care needs around our service area. It is truly a game-changer for our college, and we can’t be more thankful to our Federal Delegation for helping see this through”.

This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Southwest Arkansas Planning and Development District (SWAPDD). EDA funds SWAPDD to bring together the public and private sectors to create an economic development road map to strengthen the regional economy, support private capital investment and create jobs.

This project is funded under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (Public Law 116-136), which provided EDA with $1.5 billion for economic assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus. EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance, which is being administered under the authority of the bureau’s flexible Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) program, provides a wide range of financial assistance to eligible communities and regions as they respond to and recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

AUDIO: Governor Hutchinson’s Weekly Address | Licensing Law May Help Fill Gap in Workforce

LITTLE ROCK – For years, we have struggled to find enough teachers, nurses, and other licensed professionals to fill jobs in Arkansas, and today I’d like to talk about Act 746, a law that will help overcome that challenge by enlarging the field of employees. I signed it into law this week.

Senator Bart Hester, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, said that Arkansas has worked hard to find solutions to the shortage of professionals while a solution that could fill thousands of jobs was right in front of us.

Representative Clint Penzo co-sponsored the bill, which allows certification of a professional who is in Arkansas legally but isn’t a U.S. citizen.

The bill says that agencies that grant certificates or licenses for certain professions may certify or license a person who “fulfills the requirements to practice an occupation or profession in this state and … who holds [the] Federal Form … known popularly as a ‘work permit. … ’ ”

Under this new law, as many as five-thousand residents of Arkansas who were born in another country can work, which immediately enlarges the potential workforce for dozens of occupations from teacher to nurse to veterinarian to architect to civil engineer.

Mireya Reith, founder of Arkansas United, has worked on this and similar legislation for a decade. During past legislative sessions, we passed a law that allowed the certification of teachers and nurses who weren’t U.S. citizens. But that left out those that need a license. Legislators from both parties supported the bills enthusiastically for all other professions. So this year, the General Assembly passed what became known as Act 746, which covered a multitude of professions and was a big victory for the young people who are talented and ready to build their future in our great state.

The certification bill, combined with bills that allow qualified noncitizens to apply for the Governor’s Scholarships and instate tuition, opens up many paths for noncitizens and helps fill critical gaps in certain industries.

The laws have made the future brighter for Javier Luna, a senior at Central High who was born in Mexico City but has lived in Arkansas since he was four. He had recently learned that under the current laws, he could not get his engineering license in Arkansas. When he learned about this possibility of the new law, he volunteered to support it in the General Assembly. He testified before two committees, and he joined us at the capitol this week when I signed it into law.

This is a special Arkansas moment. The General Assembly passed Act 746 across party lines with unanimous support. All of Arkansas benefits.

Number of Working Women Drops to Levels Not Seen Since 1988

Since the COVID-19 pandemic was detected in the U.S., the share of women in the workforce has fallen to levels not seen since 1988. Data shows women not only lost the most jobs since the start of the outbreak, but they are also exhausted from performing most of the childcare and household responsibilities, so some are choosing to leave their jobs.

https://www.kuaf.com/post/number-working-women-drops-levels-not-seen-1988

Number of Working Women Drops to Levels Not Seen Since 1988

Since the COVID-19 pandemic was detected in the U.S., the share of women in the workforce has fallen to levels not seen since 1988. Data shows women not only lost the most jobs since the start of the outbreak, but they are also exhausted from performing most of the childcare and household responsibilities, so some are choosing to leave their jobs.