THIS MONTH’S NEWSLETTER explores new horizons, including compelling articles from the experts on business transformation, Robotic Process Automation, and even current data on the silent epidemic of sleeplessness in America. I believe you’ll find both inspiration and insight in this month’s edition, and we invite your feedback.

I’m also pleased to announce that April Ambrose has joined the ACDS family as Director of Workforce Development for the Advanced Energy Sector. April has an impressive track record of engaging employers in this important sector, working with them to create an interest in non-traditional staffing strategies—strategies that include the Registered Apprenticeship Program.

This month I can also share that the ACDS Registered Apprenticeship Program for IT occupations is now being leveraged for the benefit of Arkansas employers who don’t want to be their own sponsor with the U.S. Department of Labor. Beginning immediately, those employers can work with ACDS to put our “end-to-end” process to work for them, starting with identifying the employer’s demand for specific skills, and then connecting with the talent supply of candidates that fulfill that demand via ACDS’ Related Technical Training and On the Job Training and Mentoring apprenticeships.

To this end, April comes with a short list of committed employers in the advanced energy sector, and we’ve begun contacting employers in the manufacturing sector that have previously expressed interest. Our commitment to serving these new fields will in no way slow our progress in increasing the capacity of IT professionals in Arkansas. It is just another step in our continuing efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the ACDS process for the benefit of all Arkansans.

–Bill Yoder,

Executive Director