Arkansas Reimagine
Workforce Project
Congratulations, Arkansans!
Since its inception, the Reimagine Arkansas Workforce Project has been a beacon of opportunity for the workforce. Congratulations to thousands of learners who used this grant-funded program to build marketable job skills to help them enter and thrive in the workplace.
A total of 3,659 Arkansans were enrolled in free online training courses in 15 different industry clusters ranging from Clinical Medical Assistant to Full Stack Software Developer to Advanced Manufacturing and many more. Participants took the opportunity to reskill, upskill and to obtain new and exciting employment opportunities.
Thank you to our industry, community and educational partners who helped us develop and promote the project across the state. With your help, the University of Arkansas surpassed its goal of enrolling 2,000 participants, and we successfully enrolled at least one person in each of the 75 counties across Arkansas.
Contact Us
While Reimagine funding for enrollments has officially come to an end, please contact training@uark.edu if you are interested in learning about future free training opportunities.
Enrollments by County
Participants identified themselves as:
1,252
Unemployed
1,053
Under-employed
174
Self-employed
Learners Were Female
Top 5 Industry Clusters
With Highest Enrollments
Healthcare 1,860
Technology 525
Business 514
Project Management 179
Manufacturing 95
About the Reimagine Grant
The Reimagine Arkansas Workforce Project provided funding for qualifying individuals to complete online training at no cost in order to meet workforce needs across the state.
The U.S. Department of Education awarded a grant worth over $13 million to the Arkansas Workforce Development Board and the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services through August 2023 to fund the Reimagine Arkansas Workforce Project. This state-wide coordinated effort was intended to benefit Arkansans who have been economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Project partners included state agencies, U of A Global Campus Professional and Workforce Development, Shorter College, and iDatafy LLC.
The role of U of A Professional and Workforce Development was to develop and deliver short-term, online training programs for in-demand occupations. Successful completion of these training programs helped Arkansans return to or thrive in the pandemic-era workplace.
The workforce project was designed to benefit Arkansans who needed training to join or thrive in the workplace. Among those encouraged to apply were unemployed, underemployed, were new to the workforce and/or had no work history, were a member of an underrepresented population, received public assistance, resided in rural areas, were a veteran, were the spouse of a veteran, were experiencing homelessness, were 55 years or age or older, previously incarcerated, had been paroled, or were on probation.
