UAFS officials say workforce education still a priority

The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith will graduate nearly 350 bachelor degreed students next weekend, but Associate Vice Chancellor for Workforce Development at UAFS Dr. Ken Warden said the economic pendulum appears to be swinging back to workforce education.

Warden cited a 2011 Georgetown University study showing a higher proportion of two-year degrees earning larger wages than traditional four-year degreed graduates. He also cited a Bureau of Labor Statistics study that said, "Between now and 2022, of the number of jobs that are going to be created, only 27% are going to require something beyond a high school diploma but maybe less than a bachelors degree."

While such a statistic could be alarming to many universities that thrive on ever-increasing numbers of four-year degree-seeking students and graduate students, Warden said UAFS' background in workforce education prepares it well to adapt to the future economic needs of the region.

"An institution like ours – that grew out of what was Fort Smith Junior College and WestArk Community College, and have a history and reputation of working with people to design degrees and educational programs that are responsible and help people – this is not bad news for us, because we have a history of creating programs related to jobs."

He added that the degrees produced at UAFS fall in that 27% category between a high school diploma and a bachelors degree.

A few factors have driven workforce education to the forefront in recent years within Arkansas, he said, including the election of Gov. Mike Beebe, D-Ark, in 2006, as well as the on-shoring efforts by Wal-Mart and other American companies.

Sure to drive a growth in the number of workforce education programs statewide, he said, is funding secured by Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock, who cut a deal with Beebe during the debate over Private Option funding. In return for her vote to fund the Private Option – which will take state money to purchase private health insurance for impoverished Arkansans – English pushed Beebe to find $15 million to support workforce education programs across the state. He delivered, and now Warden said the discussion is happening about what to do with the money gained from the English-Beebe agreement.

"So there's been a little bit of a grab in the last year for this $15 million. Who's going to lay their hand on this money? Where does it go? Who does it belong to? Does it belong in apprenticeships or short term training in universities? But regardless of where it ends up, Sen. English sort of helped drive that conversation in Arkansas."

Dr. Paul Beran, chancellor of UAFS, said the university had been at the table for many of the discussions on workforce education since the money was set aside for workforce education.

"We had her committee here on campus in August, had a very successful meeting with a number (of legislators). … She and many others were here, as well as people from the state Chamber (of Commerce), as well as someone to talk about these issues and look at our campus and see what we do in that arena. So, I agree with what Dr. Warden said, there's been a lot of people wanting to go after these dollars. But the fact of the matter is that the conversation is really more than just how do we put people to work, but the conversation is how do you frame and help people understand what workforce development really is and it is a much bigger issue than simply training people to simply turn a widget."

Warden said training people to do more than turning widgets involves creating programs that are comprehensive and teach critical thinking skills normally developed during a four-year course of study.

In order to stay at the cutting edge of workforce education, Warden said UAFS must be poised and ready to respond to the needs of the community and businesses that make it up and that is why new certificate programs in robotics and professional sales have been launched at the university, as well as the creation of alternative learning centers such as the university's "sustainability house," which teaches students energy efficiency techniques.