Problem & History
Problem
Identified:
Over 23% of Arkansas’s current skilled professionals are at or near retirement age, but our state’s workforce pipeline isn’t prepared to fill the void these retiring workers create. As we learned all too well since 2013, workforce development discussions have taken place in statehouses and conference rooms for decades. Rarely – if ever – has the discussion involved – or directly engaged – the talent themselves: what they know or perceive, who or what drives their career choices, or what might lead to different career considerations.
Solved:
To affect needed change, a new path and plan needed to be charted. New conversations about technical opportunities needed take place on widely overlooked landscapes: classrooms, locker rooms, ballfields, during academic events and at kitchen tables across Arkansas. In a world of media bombardment, the story of a high-wage, high-skill technical career opportunities needed to be told in-person. There needed to be a way to bring the story to life. So began Be Pro Be Proud.
Guided by broad and detailed feedback directly from our talent pipeline, BPBP has developed – and delivers every day – powerful content and experiences to a wide-range of talented students right where they live and learn. The Be Pro Mobile Workshop has traveled to 550 schools across Arkansas to provide hands-on, high-tech, highly-engaging experiences that bring to life various high-wage, high-skill technical professions in target industry sectors.
At Its Core
Content Hub:
The Be Pro Be Proud Content Hub (http://beprobeproud.org) is configured to map the Path to PROsperity through a PROfessional, Technical career. First are featured profiles of 15 highly successful young Arkansans currently employed in each career field. Included with information about their paths to success is market and wage data and descriptions of associated responsibilities and work environments. Viewers are able to get a 360 degree look at these opportunities.
Next is information about how and where to obtain training in a desired field. Location, certification or degree paths, time and cost are provided. Finally is a list of companies large and small across Arkansas looking for individuals with training, credentials and skill sets in these fields. With this information in hand, visitors can Join the Movement to put themselves on the radars of partnering companies and schools and move towards becoming a PRO.
Mobile Workshop:
To affect needed change, a new path and plan needed to be charted. New conversations about technical opportunities needed take place on widely overlooked landscapes: classrooms, locker rooms, ballfields, during academic events and at kitchen tables across Arkansas. In a world of media bombardment, the story of a high-wage, high-skill technical career opportunities needed to be told in-person. There needed to be a way to bring the story to life. So began Be Pro Be Proud.
Guided by broad and detailed feedback directly from our talent pipeline, BPBP has developed – and delivers every day – powerful content and experiences to a wide-range of talented students right where they live and learn. The Be Pro Mobile Workshop has traveled to 550 schools across Arkansas to provide hands-on, high-tech, highly-engaging experiences that bring to life various high-wage, high-skill technical professions in target industry sectors.The Be Pro Mobile Workshop features a customized, interactive demonstration space loaded with information, skill challenges, and more. It features twelve professions, including Heavy Equipment Operators, Fiber Optic Tech & Linemen, Robotics and Automation, Truck Driver, CNC Operator, HVACR Tech, Diesel Tech, Tool and Die Maker, Plumber, Welder, Computer Programmer, Electrician, Machinist, CAD/CAM Drafter, and Carpenter.
Since the current model’s predecessor hosted its first group of visitors on March 6, 2016, 105,000 students have stepped aboard and heard – perhaps for the first time – the opportunities these technical careers create. 22,500 students have heard this message and taken the next step by Joining the Movement: signing up to learn more about one or more of these promoted careers, where they can be trained, and which companies will compete to hire them once these skills and credentials are in-hand.Working together, we can bring a new generation of pride, progress, and professionals into Arkansas’s skilled workforce.