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Workforce

Public, Private Partnerships Provide Skilled Labor

Training Incentives

The Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s (AEDC) Training & Quality Management Division assists businesses in many ways. The Business and Industry Training Program (BITP) is focused on customized training, including pre-employment training for new and expanding companies and financial assistance to existing manufacturing companies to develop a highly skilled workforce.

A partnership between six State Agencies has been established to ensure that companies in need of locating employees have access to individuals who have the basic employability skills required to be successful on the job. The certification earned by these applicants is called The Arkansas Career Readiness Certification (CRC).

The CRC is issued at no cost to individuals by this partnership of agencies and is available at no cost to companies who wish to participate in the program. Applicants holding a CRC have demonstrated proficiency at the Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels of certificates in 1) Reading for Information, 2) Applied Mathematics, and 3) Locating Information. These are all applied skills and are work based applications.

AEDC’s Business and Industry Training Program provides start-up training for new and expanding businesses and industries that commit to creating new jobs in Arkansas and for existing companies that are implementing new technology.

The program will coordinate training with educational institutions, advertise for production trainees, pay for training trainers when appropriate, and arrange off-site training facilities when needed.

The Existing Workforce Training Program (EWTP) provides financial assistance to Arkansas companies for upgrading the skills of their existing workforce. Skills upgrade training includes instruction conducted in a classroom environment at a work site, an educational institution or a neutral location that provides an existing, full-time employee with the new skills necessary to enhance productivity, improve performance and/or retain employment.

The program is administered by a governing council that consists of a representative from three state departments: The Department of Higher Education, Arkansas Department of Workforce Education and The Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC). The lead agency for this administration is AEDC.

EWTP reimbursements are calculated according to a set of scoring criteria. For companies that use a state-supported educational institution, the program pays the lesser of the following: 50% of the cost of training paid to the school, or:

$60 per instructional hour, times the number of instructional hours delivered by a full-time instructor or trainer; 50% or more eligible participants must complete each course.
$50 per instructional hour, times the number of instructional hours delivered by adjunct or part-time instructors or trainers; 50% or more eligible participants must complete each course.
$35 per instructional hour, times the number of instructional hours for safety-related training (regardless of instructor status).
$35 per instructional hour, times the number of instructional hours for all courses if fewer than 50% of eligible participants complete each course.

For companies that use their own employees or company-paid consultants to deliver classroom training to their employees, the EWTP offers an Arkansas income tax credit that cannot exceed $15 per instructional hour.

The maximum funding for any one company site cannot exceed $50,000 per calendar year.

To be considered for financial assistance under EWTP, a company must submit an application prior to the beginning of training, provide assurance that the participants involved in the proposed training program possess the requisite literacy skills, and clearly tie the proposed training to specific business goals and performance objectives.

The department’s area representatives, as well as outreach coordinators from state-supported educational institutions, can help design a company’s training program and prepare the EWTP financial assistance application.

Arkansas Right to Work Law

In 1944, the people of Arkansas amended the state Constitution to ensure that all people in Arkansas would have the right to work, regardless of their affiliation or non-affiliation with any type of labor organization.

Another important law governs peaceful labor relations. Act 193 provides that any violence that takes place on any picket line or in conjunction with a labor dispute becomes a felony and not a misdemeanor, and the person committing the act of violence is liable for confinement in the state penitentiary for not less than one year.

Workers’ Compensation

Arkansas has one of the most progressive workers’ compensation programs in the nation, with more than 230 insurance underwriters. Since 1995, the state's rates have decreased 56.6% and have seen the fourth-best combined loss ratio of all 51 jurisdictions.

Labor Force

The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services reports the following average labor pool estimates as of October 2009:

Labor Pool - Central Arkansas Counties

	Labor Force	Employment	Unemployment	Unemployment Rate
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway MSA	343,200	322,950	20,250	5.9%
MLRA Region	481,250	450,825	30,425	NA
Conway County	10,275	9,625	650	6.4%
Faulkner County	55,900	52,450	3,450	6.2%
Garland County	43,075	40,225	850	6.6%
Grant County	8,700	8,100	600	7.0%
Hot Spring County	15,175	14,025	1,150	7.6%
Jefferson County	35,225	32,125	3,100	8.8%
Lonoke County	31,875	30,125	1,750	5.5%
Perry County	4,875	4,575	300	6.3%
Pulaski County	192,275	180,975	11,300	5.9%
Little Rock	98,768	92,731	6,037	6.1%
Saline County	49,575	46,725	2,850	5.7%
White County	34,300	31,875	2,425	7.1%

Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, October 2009

Leading Employers

Employer	Product/Service	Employees
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences	Medical Services	8,500
Pulaski County Public School Districts (3)	Education	7,400
Baptist Health	Medical Services	6,160
Little Rock Air Force Base	Government	4,500
Acxiom	Data Processing	4,380
Central Arkansas Veterans HealthCare System	Medical Services	3,500
Arkansas Children's Hospital	Medical Services	2,830
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield	Insurance	2,740
Entergy Arkansas	Utility (Electric)	2,730
AT&T	Utility (Telecommunications)	2,610
St. Vincent Health System	Medical Services	2,600
Verizon Wireless	Telecommunications	2,500
Dillard's Inc.	Department Store Headquarters	2,400
Dassault Falcon Jet Corp.	Aircraft Completion Center	2,100
City of Little Rock	Government	2,100
Union Pacific Railroad	Transportation	2,000
CenterPoint Energy	Utility (Natural Gas)	1,600
University of Arkansas at Little Rock	Education	1,380
Pulaski County	Government	1,306
University of Central Arkansas	Education	1,250
Fidelity National Information Services, Inc.	Data Processing	1,170
Crow-Burlingame Company	Automobile Parts	1,100
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette	Newspaper - Daily	985
Baptist Health Medical Center - North Little Rock	Medical Services	850
Windstream Communications	Utility (Telecommunications)	840
City of North Little Rock	Government	807
Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism	Government	750
Multi-Management Services, Inc.	Holding Company	750
Molex, Inc.	Wire Connectors	750
Wal-Mart (Little Rock Stores)	Retailer	730
L'Oreal USA Products	Cosmetics	700
Bank of the Ozarks	Banking	675
Stephens Inc.	Brokerage Firm	650
Arkansas Game & Fish Commission	Government	600
USAble Life	Insurance	600
Cardinal Health	Pharmaceutical Products	500
Kroger Company (Little Rock Stores)	Retail Grocer	500
Bank of America	Banking	485
Arkansas Heart Hospital	Medical Services	475
Metropolitan National Bank	Banking	470
Hawker Beechcraft	Aircraft Avionics, Interiors and Installation	450
LM Glasfiber	Windmill Blades	450
Transamerica Worksite Marketing/Aegon Insurance Group	Insurance	430
United Parcel Service	Courier	420
Southwest Power Pool	Public Utilities Consulting	415
Air Transport International LLC	Aircraft Charter, Rental & Leasing	410
PFG - Little Rock	Food Processing	400
Welspun Tubular, LLC	Steel Pipes, Large Diameter	400
Regions Bank	Banking	360
Arkansas Department of Workforce Services	Government	353
Arvest Bank	Banking	350
Lexicon	Custom Structural	350
McGeorge Contracting Company, Inc.	General Contractors	350
Peabody Hotel	Hotel	350
Odom Sausage Company, Inc.	Pork, Pork Products	350
SYSCO Food Service of Arkansas	Food & Food Products	330
Cameron	Steel Valves	330
Pulaski Technical College	Education	325
Hendrix College	Education	325
AFCO Steel Inc.	Structural Steel & Metal	320
Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Arkansas	Bottled Soft Drinks	300
VCC	General Contractor	300
Heifer International	Nonprofit Worldwide Hunger Relief	300
Baptist Health Rehabilitation Institute	Medical Services	290
Central Arkansas Water	Utility (Water)	285
Baldwin & Shell Construction Company	Construction	265
U.S. Bank	Banking	255
Kimberly-Clark Corp.	Baby Wipes	250
FTD	Floral Customer Service Center	250
Carlson Wagonlit Travel	Travel Agency	250
Little Rock Wastewater	Utility (Wastewater)	250
Middleton Heat & Air	Heating and Air	240
Electric Cooperative of Arkansas	Utility (Electric)	240
Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. Arkansas	Insurance	225
Democrat Printing & Lithographing Co.	Commercial Printing	220
Tyson Foods	Poultry Processing	220
Coleman Dairy Inc.	Milk, Dairy Products	215
J.A. Riggs Tractor Co.	Equipment Rental	200
Fiber Glass Systems, L.P.	Riberglass Reinforced Plastic Pipe	200
CDI Contractors, LLC	General Contractor	200
Regions Insurance	Insurance	200
Vestcom International, Inc.	Bar Code Labels	200
iBEREIABANK	Banking	195
I-K Electric Company	Electrical Contractor	190
Bruce Oakley	Fertilizers	190
Crews & Associates, Inc.	Financial Services	190
Friday, Eldredge & Clark	Law Firm	190
Comcast	Cable Television Service	180
U.S. Foodservice	Food Distribution	180
De Wafelbakkers	Food Processing	180
Central Arkansas Transit Authority	Government	180
3-M	Roofing Granules	180
BlueAdvantage Administrators of Arkansas	Health Plans	175
Crowne Plaza Little Rock	Hotel	175
Central Flying Service	Aviation - FBO	165
Red Stone Construction Group, Inc.	General Contractor	160
Little Rock Cardiology Clinic, P.A.	Medical Services	160
Little Rock National Airport	Airport	155
BEI Precision Systems & Space Division	Precision Positioning Electronics	155
SAIC	Information Technology	150
Delta Dental of Arkansas	Insurance	150
Wright, Lindsey & Jennings LLP	Law Firm	150
Little Rock Hematology Oncology Associates, P.A.	Medical Services	150

State Government (combined with the MSA)	Government	32,900
Local Government (combined within the MSA)	Government	28,800
Federal Government (combined within the MSA)	Government	9,500

For more information, Joey Dean (Vice President, Economic Development; Executive Director, Metro Little Rock Alliance), 501.377.6006.

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