Arkansas Launch: Connecting Talent, Training, and Opportunity for Job Seekers for In-Demand Skills
Governors, employers, and workforce leaders are grappling with a persistent shortage of a skilled, career-ready workforce. This challenge has emerged as a significant barrier to the Reshoring Initiative® aimed at sustaining and revitalizing American manufacturing jobs. In response to this workforce challenge, an increasing number of employers and state governors are adopting skills-based hiring practices.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has joined the growing list of states and private employers that are embracing skills-based hiring practices. In Virginia, the Commonwealth will overhaul its hiring practices by eliminating degree requirements, preferences, or both for nearly 90% of state classified positions. This bold move aims to extend opportunities to all Virginians, making the workforce more inclusive and accessible.
While large companies such as Boeing, Walmart, Google, and IBM have committed to the Rework American Alliance , pledging to implement skills-based hiring practices. The Rework America Alliance is a unique partnership of civil rights organizations, nonprofits, private sector employers, labor unions, educators, and others working to help millions of workers from low-wage roles move into better jobs.
Companies and workforce leaders are concerned about the skills shortage and the need to fill in-demand careers - and we're counting the cost. Instead of focusing on what it takes to build the future workforce, we should be asking: What is the cost if we don’t get involved in workforce development? Under Governor Huckabee Sanders leadership, Arkansas is making strategic investments to bridge this gap and build a strong workforce for the future," said Jeremy Bout, President and Founder of Edge Factor.
Governor Sanders announced the deployment of Arkansas LAUNCH, a comprehensive skills-based platform crafted to link job seekers with opportunities while assisting employers in finding the skilled workers they urgently need. Arkansas LAUNCH is a multifaceted career development platform designed to aid job seekers in exploring career paths, matching their skills with available jobs, and accessing training programs and scholarships. This initiative aims to streamline and simplify the job search process, ensuring that job seekers can quickly, easily, and freely find suitable employment opportunities. The Arkansas LAUNCH initiative aligns with Edge Factor’s mission to equip educators and inspire students and job seekers to explore, prepare, and connect on their career journey. Just as LAUNCH connects individuals to real-world career opportunities, Edge Factor empowers students and job seekers with story-driven, age-appropriate content, interactive activities, and digital badges to move forward on their career pathways. Edge Factor, a prominent creator of career media, has been active in Arkansas for several years. Over the past year, Edge Factor has had the privilege of collaborating with the Governor’s office and Chief Workforce Officer Mike Rogers to produce high-impact storytelling that highlights companies and career pathways within the state. Discover careers, jobs, and training that leverage your skills in the industries of Arkansas' future. When he graduated from high school, Edge Factor founder and president Jeremy Bout didn’t know what he wanted to do. His uncle had just bought a 5-axis CNC machine and invited Jeremy to help him get it running. Together, they quickly realized that operating this level of technology requires serious STEM and creative problem-solving skills! With the backing of influential companies like Walmart, Google.org, and the collaboration between the State of Arkansas and Research Improving People’s Lives (RIPL), Arkansas LAUNCH is positioned to revolutionize workforce development. This initiative utilizes advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence to provide precise and targeted hiring solutions tailored to the specific needs of Arkansas businesses. This support ensures that the platform can provide real, tangible solutions for employers grappling with talent shortages. By prioritizing skills over traditional qualifications such as degrees, these initiatives aim to address the skills gap and support the continuous growth and development of the American workforce. In summary, skills-based hiring practices and platforms like Arkansas LAUNCH represent a promising step toward bridging the skills gap and preparing the workforce for future demands. By emphasizing skills and providing robust support for career development, these initiatives are poised to have a significant impact on workforce readiness and economic growth. Glenn Marshall is a member of the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) Southeastern regional board of directors, the Reshoring Initiative, a career pathways volunteer for Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) (retired) and the Military Officers Association of America MOAA. Email him at marsh8279@aol.com.AME Southeastern Region
Includes the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and the territory of Puerto Rico. AME’s regional boards are made up of dedicated and passionate volunteers who contribute their time and expertise to help companies improve their competitiveness and overall success through shared learning and access to best practices. See Southeastern Regional Summit May 6-8th in Newport News, Virginia, to learn in workshops and see on tours how your organization can share in AME’s mission of learning how to lead a manufacturing renaissance in your organization and the communities you serve. - - -