Differences A Candid Snapshot of the Generations… and Their



ARKANSAS

Rural Development Roundtable Highlights

Top Priorities:

• Education/Workforce Development: Arkansas has a limited job market, but more importantly, many rural residents are under prepared for the jobs that are out there. It is imperative that our workforce develop the skills needed to obtain and sustain employment.

• Leadership/Citizen Participation/Governance: rural areas need the governance structures in place for leadership to take the necessary steps to develop rural areas through active citizen participation.

• Economic Development: even if the two priorities above can be accomplished, concerted efforts at economic development must be undertaken in order to attract business and industry to rural areas.

Specific Needs Under Each Priority:

|Education/Workforce Development |Leadership/Civic Participation/Governance | |

| | |Economic Development |

|Strategies: |Strategies: |Strategies: |

|Utilization of vocational schools & Distance |Recognize & help train traditional and |Encourage entrepreneurship and new business |

|learning |non-traditional leaders |start-ups |

|Re-train workers who have lost jobs, especially|Brainstorming sessions can help ID people’s |Find a niche in the market to enable vendors to|

|in technology. |“hot button” issues – get them involved in |compete with larger businesses. |

|Assess students abilities & learning styles |those areas. |Community mapping of businesses, resources, |

|Improve citizen participation in education on a|Get youth involved on the planning end of |assets, etc. – helps when talking to potential |

|community level. |leadership programming |industries looking to move into the area |

|Partner with colleges, businesses and civic |Send youth through youth leadership programs |Expand and enhance workforce training |

|groups. |Ask retired people to help |Use business incubators to help new businesses |

|Increase entrepreneurship education. |Make sure that there is educational training |Provide education to new entrepreneurs - |

|Early childhood and k-12 workforce education is|available for local leaders at the city & |government regulations; Business plans; |

|needed. |county level. |Marketing. |

|Teach job readiness/work habits/work ethics. |Develop leadership programs around major |Help small businesses & leaders find community |

| |issues/concerns of the community |partners. |

| |Empower community leaders and citizens by |Develop marketing strategy for attracting |

| |providing them with the tools and understanding|industry - Market research |

| |to affect change in their communities. |Create a list of resources for all residents. |

| | |Beautification of community |

| | |Economic development stakeholders should meet |

| | |regularly and discuss education needs of their |

| | |population. |

|RD Research Needs: |RD Research Needs: |RD Research Needs: |

|Survey high school students about vocational |Survey what motivates and gets people involved.|Survey of Business/employee needs. |

|training needs. |Identify reasons (not excuses) people do not |Research to find best & most effective ways to |

|Retention of high school graduates into the |participate in community. |promote an area (city, county) to business |

|workforce in rural communities, what are the |Why are people apathetic? |interested in relocating or starting up there. |

|factors to make kids stay and in work in local |Survey of needs. |Impact analysis-Tax Studies. |

|communities. |Identify residents of communities who are |Ways to increase small/existing business |

|Determine a curriculum for K-12 that teaches |interested in civic leadership. Target people |retention & expansion. |

|basic to skilled levels of working in small and|already involved. |Impact analysis of roads & infrastructure |

|large businesses. | |needs. |

|Research Impact of Workforce Development | |Determine trends and outlooks for economics. |

|training programs on long-term success of | |Research for ways to impact alternative |

|industries. | |enterprises and impact an economy. |

|Use data to develop information sheets to use | |Determine action steps that Arkansas |

|in communities to show-trends and impacts of | |communities must take to improve infrastructure|

|education as is. | |(i.e. fire department, housing) that will |

|Determine where community dollars are being | |attract more industry. |

|spent. | |Determine profitable “niche”, agriculture |

|Survey worksites for need; analyze state | |markets that Arkansas producers can benefit |

|requirements and regulations to identify what | |from by growing. |

|is interfering with learning. | |Provide data on Taxes, Spending, and Internet |

|Study impact of consolidations. | |Business opportunities for rural communities. |

|Gather data about what people foresee as need | |What industries use natural resources found in |

|to promote job readiness, skill improvement for| |the county. |

|economic development. | | |

|Action-New ways to enable single parents to get| | |

|new skills or higher education. | | |

|RD Extension Needs: |RD Extension Needs: |RD Extension Needs: |

|Serve as a resource for educational |Develop youth leadership program to link |Educate the public about what specific areas |

|information. |leadership development to community development|for employment people need training to enhance |

|Adult/Youth Skills & Issue Training. |needs & strategies. |economic development. |

|Surveys, Fact Sheets; List of Resources at all |Need more extension people to offer leadership |Offer community mapping of all existing |

|levels. |programming. |business. |

|Work through schools to involve teachers in |Assist legislators and policy makers by |Educate agriculture producers about profitable |

|curriculum to encourage workplace skills from |providing factual research and training to new |niche markets and alternative enterprises. |

|K-12. |office holders and legislators. |Entrepreneurship programming, county official |

|One on one education to young people. |Provide leadership training for organizations, |training |

|Youth workforce education. |leaders, and youth. |Provide materials & support (i.e. act sheets, |

|Training programs for unemployed on what |Curriculum for leadership training. |modules, workshops) to educate clients on how |

|employers expect good work habits etc. |Do leadership programs for school boards, |to improve the attractiveness of their |

| |elected officials, QC members, teachers, city |community to new industry. |

| |government, representatives, and senators. | |

| |Work with Jr. Colleges on leadership programs. | |

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