Be Pro Be Proud expands to Texas

Be Pro Be Proud, an initiative created by the Associated Industries of Arkansas to help students explore, plan and launch careers in high-demand technical professions, has expanded into Texas in collaboration with TEXO Foundation.

Over a three-year period, Be Pro Be Proud will mobilize a touring workshop across middle schools and high schools in several regions, including North Central Texas, offering immersive virtual and augmented reality technical career simulators in industries such as construction, welding, manufacturing, transportation and utilities.

“Be Pro Be Proud is proud to partner with TEXO Foundation to unlock new opportunities for North Texas students,” said Randy Zook, president and CEO of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and Be Pro Be Proud. “This unique collaboration will not only make a powerful, long-lasting impact on Texas’ skilled workforce, but it will also help shape a future where every aspiring individual can embrace his or her path to success.”

The campaign will serve as a pilot for other regions across the state. Over a three-year period, Be Pro Be Proud is projected to have more than 300 tour dates, attract more than 45,000 mobile workshop visitors and engage nearly 12,500 students, educators and employers in Texas.

“The biggest issue facing the construction industry right now is a skilled craft professional workforce,” said Meloni Raney, president and CEO of TEXO, The Construction Association. “To recruit the next generation of workers, we must do it differently, and Be Pro Be Proud is a great tool to help us do so.”

Texas is the eighth state where Be Pro Be Proud operates, joining Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.