DUMAS – Creating a focused-on-the-future workforce development system and turning the Delta Technology Education Center as a launchpad for career development are among the goals included in a blueprint that will enable the center to have the highest impact on the area it serves in southeastern Arkansas.
“We now have the strategies in place to move the Delta Technology Education Center to the next level,” said David Rainey, chairman of the DTEC Board of Directors in Dumas and superintendent of the Dumas School District. “DTEC provides valuable services now, and we are looking toward having an even greater impact in the near future.”
Rainey was speaking at the DTEC in Action Implementation Kickoff, held at DTEC on Oct. 14. The kickoff event provided an opportunity for DTEC in Action Steering Committee members to set priorities and identify the strategies for implementation that are likely to have the greatest impact. The three strategic goals identified as highest priority are:
• Creating a workforce development system to meet the changing needs of local businesses and employers,
• Using DTEC as a vehicle to engage, equip, and inspire youth in the community, and
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• Marketing DTEC as a launching pad for career development, tapping outside resources, and creating new initiatives.
“Important decisions were made at this event,” said Mark Peterson, professor of Community and Economic Development with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and coordinator of the Breakthrough Solutions Program. “The DTEC blueprint reflects valuable deliberations among community leaders, with suggestions from resource persons from UALR, the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority and other agencies.”
Already underway as part of the DTEC in Action planning process:
• Hosted a webinar on creating a vibrant downtown,
• Hosting a webinar series on recruiting young people and former residents to your community (Oct. 2, Oct. 23, and Nov.13),
• The Arkansas Science and Technology Authority is funding an intern for DTEC in early 2014,
• The DTEC website is being revamped with assistance from the UALR Small Business Technology and Development Center, and
• A study by the UALR Institute for Economic Advancement is underway to identify the most promising economic development clusters and strategies for the larger DTEC service area.
For more information about the Delta Technology Education Center, contact Shalaunda Jones, executive director of DTEC at 870-382-1031.