SPRINGDALE -- Rachelle Moore, a teacher from Springdale High School, listened Monday as Gov. Asa Hutchinson talked about the importance of career education and as an "economic futurist" described what her students will face when they enter the workforce.
Moore and other teachers wondered how much politicians and business and industry leaders understand about the struggles her students face just getting through the day, she said. They lack transportation, come to school tired because they take care of younger siblings while their parents work the overnight shift and come to school hungry because they didn't have breakfast.
“Blue collar today is high tech.”
— Perry Webb, president of Springdale Chamber of Commerce
Many of her students want to earn an industry certificate or college degree, but face obstacles because of their undocumented immigrant status.
"We can help our kids move mountains," Moore said. "We need help."
Moore was among 40 educators, including teachers, principals and counselors, who spent Monday at the McDonald's Training Center in Springdale for the first day of Chamber of Commerce's first Academy for Career Educators. By the last day of the academy on Thursday, the educators, all from Springdale School District, will have visited Cargill, Kawneer and Tyson Foods.
Some people might think of Springdale as "blue collar and chickens," said Perry Webb, president of the Springdale Chamber of Commerce said.
"Blue collar today is high tech," Webb said.
A line worker in Springdale years ago would have pressed a button to make a product, but today's factory workers use computer keyboards instructing robots to make those products, Webb said. Tyson Foods has grown beyond chicken production to become one of the the world's largest food companies. The company has 113,000 employees and 400 facilities and offices across the United States and around the world.
The company employs workers with technical expertise in information systems, research and development, engineering and laboratory services, as well as food and workplace safety, said Gary Mickelson, spokesman.
Educators and businesses need to do a better job of communicating so they can work together to solve a problem that doesn't have a finish line, Webb said. Businesses face a constant push to evolve. What businesses need today likely is different from what they needed last week or two months ago.
Northwest Arkansas' unemployment rate was 2.4 percent in April, with the state rate at 3.4 percent, and the economy is growing in many job sectors, but Hutchinson on Monday said he anticipates a constant churn with companies announcing hiring plans while others announce plans to shed workers.
When Hutchinson recruits companies to consider Arkansas, a quality workforce is at the top of the list of their priorities, he said.
Springdale benefits from access to Northwest Technical Institute and Northwest Arkansas Community College, Hutchinson said. Northwest Technical Institute houses one of the state's 40 secondary career centers that hold job-training programs for high school students. The number of secondary career centers has grown since 2004 when there were just 20, he said. About 25 of the state's 75 counties still have no access to a career center, he said.
Instead of college being the only path to success, students increasingly have alternative career paths to consider that will provide them with a good living to support a family, Hutchinson said. He has a goal to increase the percentage of students earning an industry certificate, associate's degree or college degree from 43.4 percent to 60 percent by 2025.
Moore told Hutchinson she loves the idea of her students continuing their education after high school. Many students want to pursue workforce certificates or college degrees, but they face obstacles because of their status as immigrants.
Hutchinson agreed the issue is serious given the minority population in Northwest Arkansas. The U.S. Census Bureau reports 35.4 percent of Springdale's residents in 2014 were Hispanic.
"That is a challenge, and hopefully we can continue looking at that," Hutchinson said. "I hope we can raise money for minority scholarships. There needs to be more access to that, targeted toward the education of our minority students."
In an increasingly global economy, Northwest Arkansas is competing with larger American and international cities, said Ted Abernathy, founder and managing partner of the Economic Leadership consulting firm.
While the nation is experiencing one of the longest economic expansions in its history, the economy has changed, Abernathy said. He showed a picture of his four grandparents from 1957. The highest level of education any one of them had was sixth grade. They worked in the textiles industry and considered themselves middle class.
In today's economy, workers are part of accelerating globalization, where everyone is connected and what happens overseas affects individuals in the United States, he said. Worldwide, there is an oversupply of labor, with 30 percent more people trained for jobs than are needed. Lots of workers are looking for jobs with similar levels of education.
There's a mismatch, though, because while many people want a job, companies also report struggling to find workers. The issue has to do with the skills of the laborers. About 40 percent of companies in the United States reporting having trouble finding skilled labor, he said.
NW News on 06/07/2016