The Central Arkansas Workforce Development Board (CAWDB) is charged with the implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) throughout the Central Arkansas Workforce Development Area’s six county service area of Pulaski, Faulkner, Saline, Lonoke, Monroe and Prairie Counties.
The CAWDB is determined to provide both job seekers and employers with the best training/education options designed for the best jobs available throughout the area. To accomplish that goal, the proper analysis of the demographics, job opportunities and availability of the training/education necessary to qualify for those jobs must serve as the foundation for CAWDB’s policy decisions. In other words, the CAWDB needed “LEVERAGE” to accomplish their stated goals.
The very definition encapsulates the CAWDB’s stated goal to use the data analysis and conclusions drawn from LEVERAGE as a catalytic first step to meet the labor force needs of business and industry and provide every advantage for participants to obtain a higher standard of living throughout the six county service area.
The goal of this report is to provide a base line of information which can be used for policy decision making by the Central Arkansas Workforce Development Board.
The first objective is to align training programs to the needs of industry for the benefit for both the jobseeker and employers. Targeted training opportunities will provide participants with the increased probability of obtaining a good paying job. The increased labor pipeline will provide businesses with the workforce they need to operate and grow their companies throughout the region.
The second objective of this report is to build the case for limiting training dollars to only those training/educational programs which are applicable in the eight industry sectors identified as “in-demand” through this analysis.
The eight industry sectors which are identified as “in-demand industries” through this analysis are:
Manufacturing
Construction
Education and Health Services
Finance and Insurance
Trade and Transportation
Professional and Business Services
Accommodation and Food Services
Other Services
Matching the right job skills for the most available jobs will prove to be the “innovation” and will generate the “opportunities” in the CAWDB’s policy decisions for implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act.
Lastly, the Central Arkansas Workforce Development Area wants to commend the Board of Directors for their vision, commitment, and guidance during this process and moving forward.