The emPOWER Arkansas Expo will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 13 at the Saline County Career Center and Technical Campus in Benton.
The event will provide job seekers and students an opportunity to learn through interactive industry booths and career and educational presentations, along with live career coaching and job interviews.
“The goal is for this to be a one-stop shop industry and career event,” said producer April Ambrose, Director of Workforce Development for the Arkansas Advanced Energy Association.
The idea was born last year, after a survey among leading industry members — from energy auditors to contractors — revealed missed opportunities among employees and employers.
“All of those members suggested that workforce development is one of their biggest challenges,” Ambrose said. “There needs to be exposure to the industry.”
Energy technology, Ambrose said, is a field that is rarely discussed among students or job-seekers. Yet it has emerged as one of the top trades in Arkansas.
“There is a huge opportunity in the state right now for the companies that are on the forefront of this industry,” she said. “We’re not going backwards. We need an educated workforce that understands how they can participate in this incredible growing economy.”
A number of factors impact the conversation around energy conservation, Ambrose said, including a lack of familiarity for high school students looking at trades. There is also the issue of adding new technology to already-established traditional training, which can be a slow process as employers work toward training reimbursement and proper curriculum.
“The students were not being exposed to the fact that these careers exist,” Ambrose said. “They’re all looking at careers related to robotics and missing the mark on higher industry that is thriving in Arkansas right now.”
As director, Ambrose has worked hard to bring awareness to Arkansas’ position in the field, and she says it starts in the classroom.
“It really does have to start pre-college,” she said. “The goal is to help students develop skills that are documented with credentials and for employers to do the same. When looking at a resume, trying to figure it out based on credentials and not on jobs. This allows for a more transparent opportunity to understand those skills, so it’s not all college bound in that case.”
However, it is not too late for anyone to join the field, regardless of age. The expo provides an opportunity for both employers and potential employees to work toward a greater understanding of one another.
“Booths will be educational, but will also have an interactive hands-on component,” Ambrose said.
Scott Kuttenkuler works as Assistant Vice Chancellor for the Saline County Career and Technical Campus.
“There are people who need to hire people, and people that want to be hired, but sometimes that divide between the two can be an obstacle,” he said. “Hopefully we can close that gap. At the end of the day, it’s good jobs for the region.”
Kuttenkuler said that the plan is to bring students from the center through the expo, in the hopes that connections will be made.
“This is all about connecting those two groups: the people who are hiring, to the people that need jobs,” he said.
And per Ambrose, the need for employees is great. The emPOWER Expo is a soft launch to a larger conversation, one that needs to be had for the energy technologies industry.
“We have employees screaming that they need more people,” she said. “I hope that [attendees] will have a better full spectrum understanding of the enormity and breadth of this industry, as well as an understanding as the economic impact of this industry in Arkansas.”
