Arkansas

Jobs board funded by Pew and supported by employers also aims to elevate training of broadband workers.

HOT SPRINGS, Arkansas, June 26, 2024 – Pew Charitable Trusts and four large telecommunications companies on Tuesday launched an online platform designed to boost job prospects for workers in broadband industries in Arkansas and Louisiana.

The announcement at the Arkansas BEAD conference here on Tuesday is part of the think tank Heartland Forward’s efforts to advance better broadband and be a resource for state and local communities in what the group calls “the middle of the country.”

“The number one economic issue of our time is having access to affordable high-speed internet, but we need more talent in this field to connect every family,” said Ross DeVol, CEO of Heartland Forward. “By facilitating access to jobs and training, the Connecting the Heartland Broadband Jobs Board attracts new talent and bolsters our broadband infrastructure, ensuring continued growth and connectivity in heartland communities.”

Arkansas will require 8,000 jobs and Louisiana will require 5,000 jobs to complete the state’s broadband buildouts, Heartland Forward said. 

In addition to job posting, the resource is designed to help elevate the skills and training of potential workers. Job seekers will be able to access training specific to jobs posted by employers. AT&T, Cablelynx Broadband, Cox Communications and Ritter Communications and the employers currently on the platform. 

“These providers understand that in order to be successful, it is imperative that they partner, not only in the industry, but outside of the traditional broadband sector,” said Solomon Graves, associate manager of regional connectedness at Heartland Forward, speaking at the event. 

“We have a very finite timeline” for broadband deployments under the government Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, said Graves.

Arkansas ranks fifth among states for job growth, and boasts record-high jobs and declining unemployment rates – complicating efforts to obtain workers for broadband projects.

“We need a strong workforce with expertise in this area” to accelerate broadband, said Arkansas State Broadband Director Glen Howie. “The Connecting the Heartland Broadband Jobs Board will ultimately positively impact lives for the better.”

The Connecting the Heartland Broadband Jobs Board is one part of Heartland Forward’s multi-pronged Connecting the Heartland initiative. This effort seeks to boost internet availability, affordability and adoption rates for participation in online services that are key to economic opportunity.

MILLER COUNTY, Ark. (KSLA) – Several educational groups in Arkansas are working together to make changes to amend the state constitution’s education clause.

Members with Arkansas Educational Rights brought their message to Miller County, saying they the amendment they are seeking will provide three critical things.

“First it provides universal access to the most proven educational standards that boost learning it requires any school that receive public financing to follow the same standards as public schools and the third potent take the existing Arkansas minimum education standards so future lawmakers can’t water down our educational qualities,” said Bill Kopsky, with Ark. Public Policy.

Before changes can be placed on the November ballot, they must collect over 90,000 signatures from at least 50 counties across the state. They say the petition drive is not without opposition.

“There have been a lot of propaganda going out that’s been paid by the opposition to spread a message against what we are trying to do and a lot of time that’s disinformation or misinformation at best because they are trying to confuse the voters,” said Steve Grappe, with Stand Up Arkansas.

The group has until July 5 to get the necessary signatures for the amendment to be on the ballot.

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