VIP Corner - Jobs and Targeted Education

The Union County Violence Intervention Plan (VIP) is the result of community-wide efforts that was developed in 2017. In 2018 ten nonprofits came together to focus their work efforts in the six areas depicted in the diagram above. Today we want to discuss the importance of jobs and targeted education.

South Arkansas Community College

The Adult Education Program provides Arkansas residents the opportunity to improve their basic reading, writing, and math skills. Two core Adult Education programs are GED and WAGE.

• The GED® Program is provided to improve basic skills needed to pass the GED® Test and earn an Arkansas High School Diploma.

• WAGE™ is a State of Arkansas Certification that is designed to improve workplace basic skills of the unemployed and under-employed labor pool in order to gain employment or advance current employment opportunities. Completing this Certificate shows employers you are able to start and finish an educational program and that you are trainable.

Both programs are FREE and each takes an average of 100 hours to complete.

• Re-entry programs are not new to SouthArk. They are instrumental in training those re-entering society from incarceration. They work with Arkansas Community Corrections (ACC) to provide parolees necessary employment training as well as GED® and WAGE™ to help reduce recidivism in Union County. They plan to expand these offerings in 2019 outside the ACC.

The Secondary Technical Center offers Union County high school students a minimum of five career/technical programs. Students may receive, not only high school credits for course completion, but college credits, as well. The cost of tuition and books is free to the student. Programs currently available are:

• Automotive Service Technology

• Cosmetology

• Criminal Justice

• Health Science Technology

• Industrial Technology-Mechatronics

• Welding

The Career and Technical Education (CTE) or vocational training programs teach high school students, especially those at risk of dropping out, job skills needed for specific occupations. CTE programs:

• Include internships or job shadowing outside of school settings

• Prepare students for careers in fields such as information technology, health services, hospitality and tourism, communications, advanced manufacturing, or science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)

• Improve high school graduation rates for at-risk students

• Increase students’ post-secondary education, employment, and earnings

If you would like more information about any of the programs mentioned in this article, contact Amy Sturdivant, Adult Education Director at (870) 862-8131.

If you would like more information about the Union County Violence Intervention Plan and how Jobs and Targeted Education are being addressed please visit our website www.sharefoudnation.com and review the VIP. For more information contact Debbie Watts, VP of Community Impact at (870) 881-9015.

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