In a meeting that lasted some one and a half hours, the Bradley County Economic Development Commission had a detailed discussion concerning the state of the workforce in the southeast Arkansas region and ways to help people get the education and training they need to find jobs in the area. On hand to take part in the discussion were representatives of Potlatch, Townsend, Ouachita and Oasis, all wood product manufacturers in the City of Warren. Also in attendance were representatives of several state agencies and educational institutions.
According to the companies there are jobs available in this area for trained electricians and middle level managers. They talked about the need for more trucks and drivers and the growing need for more loggers as the timber industry rebounds and grows. See more of this story by clicking the link under the advertisement.
Several people mentioned the fact that well trained employees with technical skills can often make more money than college graduates. Different ways to encourage young people to get technical training to take advantage of local jobs was discussed. The education attendees offered assistance to the industries in helping them secure trained workers and to help further educate existing workers.
Each of the companies in attendance talked about the growing timber economy and the massive changes that have occurred over the past several years. The industry is much more technical than ever before.
A representative of the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission stated that about 85% of the new jobs created in Arkansas during the last year were created by existing industry. BCEDC members voiced their strong support of companies that are currently located in Warren. Efforts will be pursued to create a consortium of local companies to utilize training programs to be provided by regional technical schools and various training programs.
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