In early 2018, multiple health care employers in Monroe and Prairie counties experienced a high volume of open positions. As a result, desperate to fill the positions, they contacted the Arkansas Workforce Center in Brinkley to determine if services or training was available to assist with filling those positions.
Without delay, the Arkansas Workforce Center’s Business Service Team and employers met and designed a strategy to address the barrier of finding qualified applicants for the unfilled positions.
Excitedly, the Central Arkansas Workforce Development Area (CAWDA) partnered with the MedLinc, Inc. to offer grant-funded tuition from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to enable entry-level applicants to complete the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training and to obtain their CNA License. The course offered students a condensed 2 week schedule with classes Monday through Friday from 8:00 am -4:30 pm.
In combination with the class, students had the opportunity to meet and interview with those employers on an Employer Connect Day that was held in the center.
Overall, the CNA class had a successful completion rate of 100% and provided a 95% placement rate with local employers.
