The Rural Workforce Development Southern Region Summit was a convening designed to bring together stakeholders from multiple sectors to share solutions to workforce challenges, identify resources, and expand access to workforce opportunities.
Created in partnership with the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton (UACCM) and the USDA Rural Development Innovation Center Partnership Division, the Summit provided space for educators, business leaders, legislators, health care professionals, nonprofit representatives, and public servants from across the Southeast to exchange best practices and learn from one another.
Past Rural Workforce Development Summits
October 2-4, 2019
UACCM’s Workforce Training Center and the USDA Partnership Division collaborated with the Institute to bring together 96 rural workforce champions. The Summit aimed to foster a collaborative environment where participants could explore one another’s unique roles in regional workforce development. Through a series of facilitated exercises, attendees discussed shared challenges and offered top‑level ideas for building stronger workforce development systems.
November 5, 2020
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, planning partners reduced the original two‑and‑a‑half‑day schedule to a half‑day hybrid event, which ultimately brought together 54 participants, including 42 virtual attendees and 12 in‑person attendees. Through virtual breakout sessions and physically distanced discussions inside UACCM’s Tyson Training Hall, participants reflected on workforce developments from the past year and identified future opportunities for collaboration and innovation. They also examined their strengths and considered ways they could take action to support workforce growth in their communities.
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