WHY TEXARKANA IS HOME TO YOUR NEXT SKILLED WORKFORCE
by Rob Sitterly President & CEO AR-TX Redi
One of the great benefits that businesses can tap into in Texarkana is a highly trained, industry-ready workforce, cultivated by an education system that was developed alongside Texarkana’s industrial history. A region can have all the industrial infrastructure and raw materials in the world, but its productivity still depends on the activity of motivated, trained workers. A skilled workforce is one of the most important factors affecting regional economic strength and growth. This relationship shows up in the figures: City Observatory identifies a robust statistical correlation between four-year college attainment rate and per capita income. The value of higher education is tangible, with each percentage point increase in attainment being correlated with a more than $1,000 increase in per capita income. The World Economic Forum suggests that education affects productivity in three key ways. First, it increases the collective ability to carry out existing tasks more quickly. More skilled workers work faster, make fewer mistakes and are able to optimize processes. As well as this, secondary and tertiary education is shown to facilitate the transfer of new information and knowledge about innovative concepts, developing a robust and productive knowledge economy. Finally, education increases a population’s creativity, boosting the region’s ability to develop new knowledge and develop innovations itself. This adds up to a recipe for regional success: businesses that can access a highly-skilled workforce have the opportunity to thrive. A FUTURE-FACING LEGACY The twin cities of Texarkana, found on the border between Texas and Arkansas, have a rich foundation of industrial excellence that dates back to the 1800s. The city’s legacy of U.S. builders and innovators, combined with low tax rates and prime connectivity, has made it a hub of industry today. Texarkana’s educational institutions are closely linked to industry and business needs, with programs specifically designed to develop the skills for the jobs of today and tomorrow. “Texarkana has a long and rich history of industry success,” said Rob Sitterley, president and CEO of Texarkana’s regional economic
development organization, AR-TX REDI. “This success is made possible by the region’s strong and innovative education system, which was built around providing a talented workforce for local employers. “The legacy of American builders in our region can be summed up in two words: work ethic. When you take work ethic and couple it with an incredible training program specifically tailored to meet the needs of an employer, you get a world-renowned product.” OUTSTANDING EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS “Texarkana’s education system offers an impressive institutional backing for a region our size,” said Sitterley. “With the only community in the country that can call home to two public university systems and with almost 10,000 individuals enrolled at any time, a business will undoubtedly find a robust workforce pipeline deeply embedded here.” Built on the belief that employees are a company’s biggest asset, and talent is the most valuable investment, Texarkana College trains more than 4,000 students each year in 12 on-site custom training programs. Students receive tailored training in high-demand programs, gaining both soft and technical skills. The college turns out a trained workforce who are equipped to improve quality, productivity and turnover, and 88% of these graduates are placed in jobs that utilize their training and qualifications. Part of the college, the Ledwell School of Advanced Manufacturing, is a 20,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility with five programs of study, where students gain in-demand skills in areas including industrial maintenance and construction technology. To date, more than 50 businesses have reaped the benefits of this specialist workforce. The school’s yearly impact on the region amounts to $271.6 milliion and 5,801 jobs. As well as the college, two university systems serve Texarkana. These are two of the region’s top university systems for workforce development. Texas A&M University-Texarkana takes on more than 2,000 students each year in 24 undergraduate programs and 13 graduate
34 | Texarkana Community Directory | Fall 2023
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