LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas Tech University will partner with “Ready For Life” to strengthen workforce education and training in the River Valley, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Friday during a speech to the Russellville Chamber of Commerce.”Ready For Life” is Gov. Hutchinson’s initiative to connect job-seekers, educators and employers at a one-stop employment website that includes job openings as well as opportunities for continuing education.Gov. Hutchinson commended the work of the chamber and the Russellville community to establish a workforce development team and strengthen workforce education and training.
Ready For Life Pilot Program
While speaking, the governor announced a new partnership to his “Ready For Life” initiative with Arkansas Tech University and the broader Russellville business community. This pilot program will engage a whole-of-community approach, include employers, high schools and local workers to increase employment opportunities.
“This pilot will be starting right here in Russellville and include $4.2 million dollars that will go to Arkansas Tech University to oversee this initiative and partnership,” Gov. Hutchinson said during his talk in Russellville on Friday.
“This is the first pilot of its kind, and hopefully with the success that will come here, we can expand this initiative more,” he said.
The program will allow high schools to increase training using the “Ready For Life” platform and assist employers in building the skilled workforce they need to succeed in business. The program will focus on teaching skills to the underemployed and the formerly incarcerated.
Ready for Life
The mission of “Ready For Life” is to prepare a job-ready, career-bound workforce to meet the needs of Arkansas employers.
The program provides a comprehensive system of education and workforce programs and services for high schools and businesses to use and develop their own plans to strengthen their community’s workforce.
The program helps identify future skill needs, and to develop training programs that meet the demand of the community.
“Ready For Life will make it easier for employees and employers to find each other, and it will offer business leaders a quick snapshot of the state of the employee pool in Arkansas as they recruit talent,” Governor Hutchinson said when announcing the “Ready For Life” program in January of 2021.
Arkansas continues to expand on the best practices in education-to-employment programs across all sectors of our economy.
You can find more about the “Ready For Life” program HERE.
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