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Arkansas Community Colleges Tap Education Design Lab to Expand College-to-Career Pipeline

A new program in Arkansas aims to create more community college pathways for learners to attain job-ready skills. The "Scaling Learner Opportunity and Economic Growth Across Arkansas" initiative, launched by Education Design Lab, will "bring colleges, employers, learners, and local stakeholders together to collaboratively design agile, skills-based education-to-career pathways to meet the state's evolving workforce needs," according to a news announcement.

Participating institutions, including South Arkansas College, Arkansas State University, Newport, Arkansas State University, Three Rivers, Arkansas Tech University, Ozark Campus, East Arkansas Community College, North Arkansas College, Northwest Arkansas Community College, and University of Arkansas Rich Mountain, will use the Lab's human-centered design framework to create stackable credentials that can be achieved in less than a year. These "micro-pathways" will "put learners both on the path to an associate degree or to livable-wage employment in high-growth industries, based on data and feedback from industry partners across the state, the announcement explained. The pathways will build on skills-based, employer-responsive workforce readiness initiatives and partnerships already in place at the institutions. Funding for the initiative was provided by Ascendium Education Group, Strada Education Foundation, and Walmart.

"The demands of today's employers go beyond traditional education; workers need to be able to bring in-demand skills to the table on their first day on the job," said Dr. Stephanie Tully-Dartez, president of South Arkansas College, in a statement. "Using the Lab's human-centered design process, we're crafting micro-pathways tailored to the needs of businesses throughout the state, and helping Arkansans access stable, family-sustaining jobs and continued career growth."

"Micro-credentialing is a game-changer for ASU Newport students, offering a flexible pathway to valuable credentials while balancing work, family, and education," commented Charles Walker, director of workforce development at Arkansas State University, Newport. "This approach allows students and workers to efficiently gain targeted expertise and enter high-demand, high-wage jobs — without the potentially prohibitive expense and time commitment of a four-year degree."

"The push to adopt micro-pathways has really taken off across the country in recent years, showing how higher education and the workforce are becoming more connected," said Bill Hughes, president and CEO of Education Design Lab. "This initiative is about creating educational programs that keep up with fast-changing industry demands while meeting the needs of New Majority Learners — a crucial balance for building a stronger, more resilient workforce."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

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