Regional NewsFriday, November 13
Northwest Arkansas Council focuses on workers and roads at its annual meeting
The Daily Rogers team
If you wonder what keeps regional leaders up at night, Thursday's Northwest Arkansas Council annual meeting in Bentonville had two answers: workers and roads. Council President and CEO Nelson Peacock said the region has more than 10,000 open jobs. A new Gallup survey, commissioned by the Walton Family Foundation, looked at how well schools and employers connect.
Few students say they know a lot about apprenticeships or certificates
Source: khbs
View as table
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Know a lot about apprenticeships | 13% |
| Know a lot about certification programs | 11% |
| Have internship access through school | 27% |
The survey also found that 83% of employers are interested in an initiative connecting businesses with K-12 schools. Peacock said the council's next step is mapping what each school district teaches and matching it to what employers need.
- Employers expecting Arkansas graduates as workers: about 96%
- Students with a chance to job shadow: about a third
- Kiefer Sage's draft entry-level training program: 16 weeks
Roads are the bigger bill. Talk Business reported that council members picked infrastructure as the region's top priority. Peacock told the 180 members the region will largely have to rely on its own resources to cover its needs.
Infrastructure tops the council's priorities, and jobs are open
- $6 billion
- in road and transportation needs through 2050
- 55%
- of council members named infrastructure the top priority
- 10,000+
- open jobs in the region