THREE YEARS AGO this month‚ÄĒin July 2019‚ÄĒthe Arkansas Center for Data Sciences began actively spreading the word about our mission to help close the IT skills gap in Arkansas. We were footmen who would travel the state to talk with, and listen to, every employer, every higher ed official, and every job seeker who would take the time to hear us out.  A few of us at ACDS knew the workforce process, but most of us were just starting our climb up the steep learning curve.

Flash forward to today: As of July 2022, we‚Äôve presented to more than 500 Arkansas employers, we‚Äôve processed some 6,000 individual apprenticeship applications, and we‚Äôve collaborated with numerous state agencies and training partners‚ÄĒallies who‚Äôre now an integral part of our state‚Äôs IT workforce fabric. We‚Äôve moved past the ‚Äúproof of concept‚ÄĚ stage.

Even so, we‚Äôre just scratching the surface.  We still have much, much work to do to increase ACDS‚Äô name recognition‚ÄĒand awareness of our mission‚ÄĒacross the state. We need to double and then triple the number of participating Arkansas employers. And we especially need to reach out to ever-larger segments of the talent supply to let them know there are great career opportunities for them right here at home. A few months ago, we introduced our new fulltime marketing director, Clint Hankinson, who‚Äôs already helping us spread the word through channels we hadn‚Äôt previously explored‚ÄĒincluding, when appropriate, using press releases to let others know of ACDS‚Äô activities and successes.

Elsewhere in this issue, you‚Äôll find a couple such stories. One, as we begin this next stage of our work, we go forward with a new, refined image, which we‚Äôre debuting this month. Two, thanks in large part to the expertise of Apprenticeship Director Lonnie Emard, ACDS has just been designated an ‚ÄúApprenticeship Ambassador‚ÄĚ by the U.S. Department of Labor. We‚Äôre proud to bring this honor to Arkansas, and to carry on this very important work.

–Bill Yoder,

Executive Director