Workforce development is top of mind across Arkansas — and for good reason. From apprenticeships and skilled trades to advanced degrees and leadership training, preparing people for meaningful work is essential to building a strong, resilient economy. But are we looking at it comprehensively?
At Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, we see 21st-century workforce development through a wide lens — one that values everything an industry needs to succeed. It is why we partner with top community colleges to expand opportunities in high-demand technical fields, and collaborate with industries where our scientists and industry experts create new products and improve systems. At A-State, workforce development means everything from skilled workers to cutting-edge research and development.
Each day, our campus is home to the next generation of problem solvers in fields shaping Arkansas’s future, from management and health care to digital technology, finance, agriculture and advanced manufacturing.
The work starts early, sometimes with concurrently enrolled high school students or first-generation students stepping onto campus unsure of where they fit or where they are headed. That moment of possibility grows into something larger: a classroom experience that builds confidence, an internship that unlocks a career path, or a degree that sparks upward mobility.
Often, college is just the beginning.
Industries evolve and expand their impact and people have to evolve with them. Many reimagine their careers multiple times over a lifetime as technological changes constantly reshaping opportunities and goals. Lifelong reinvention depends on access to education and mentors who open doors. Higher education institutions such as A-State help make that possible.
Along the way, students contribute to the region, spending more than $68 million each year and supporting thousands of local jobs, from housing to health care. Once they graduate, they carry that impact forward, becoming steel producers, accountants, educators, engineers, analysts and health care providers who keep Arkansas moving. We are not only helping solve the workforce development challenge; we are an important part of the region’s economic development.
Last year, A-State’s total economic impact reached $2.5 billion, including $480 million from university operations and student and visitor spending, plus an additional $2 billion from alumni who live and work throughout the state. That impact supports more than 16,000 jobs and returns $7.10 for every dollar invested by the state.
We see that return all around us — a serial entrepreneur reshaping retail media through artificial intelligence, a logistics professional optimizing supply chains, the managing partner at a law firm guiding complex mergers or the founder of a top outdoor retailer growing operations nationwide. We see it in doctors and nurses delivering care and improving health outcomes in rural communities. They are workforce stories too — and vital to Arkansas’ economic future.
A-State’s approach emphasizes not only technical training but also leadership, communication, resilience, teamwork, professional growth and R&D. The A-State Women’s Business Leadership Center helps students and working professionals build confidence, skills and networks to lead in any industry. It is a statewide mentorship program, open to all A-State students, that connects emerging leaders with experienced mentors worldwide.
The center is a powerful example of how career growth and reinvention are possible when mentorship and higher education work together.
We are also strengthening pipelines through partnerships with ASU-Newport and Arkansas Northeastern College in Blytheville, preparing students for high-demand careers in steel, food processing and automated manufacturing — all backed by a $10.5 million state grant.
True workforce development is not only about filling jobs; it is about building capacity in schools, hospitals, companies and communities. It means giving first-generation students the chance to earn a degree that changes their family’s future. It means supporting leaders who keep institutions strong and economies resilient. It means creating clear connections between careers and education for everyone who needs training and skill development during their lives.
It means equipping employers to invest in their own teams. National data shows companies offering tuition reimbursement see a 129 percent return on every dollar spent through higher retention, stronger performance and long-term talent development. In other words, education pays off — for both the learner and the employer.
Todd Shields is chancellor of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.
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