skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Monday, March 18, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Could Certifications Help More Arkansans Find Jobs Post-Pandemic?

play audio
Play

Monday, July 6, 2020   

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Millions of jobs across the U.S. have vanished in the months since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and many Arkansans may have to gain new skills or refresh the ones they have to navigate the jobs landscape amid the economic fallout from the public health crisis.

According to new Lumina Foundation data, Arkansas ranks among the lowest in the nation for education attainment after high school, whether it be a college degree or industry certification.

Jeff Strohl, director of research at Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce, says for adults with no formal education beyond high school, the coronavirus will likely severely curb job prospects and could trigger long-term unemployment among millions.

"Since we're entered into the horrid pandemic recession, certifications are going to become very core to some of our re-skilling and re-employment efforts," he stresses.

But, the Arkansas has made strides in post-secondary education.

The Lumina Foundation report says 43% of Arkansans now hold some form of post-high school credentials. That's up 17% since 2008.

Courtney Brown, Lumina Foundation vice president for strategic impact, says industry certifications typically take less time and money to earn than degrees, and can improve job prospects, especially in fields such as health care, education and government services.

"People with certifications and no other postsecondary credential are more likely to be employed than those without them," she points out. "We know that they make higher salaries, are more likely to be promoted and have greater job satisfaction than those without."

Black and Latino workers are among those most likely to have lost reliable income because of COVID-19, and the data show these groups also are less likely to have any post-secondary education or qualifications.

In Arkansas, around 24% of Black residents and 15% of Latino residents have some form of higher education, compared with 32% of residents who identify as white.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Corporate partners sign contracts to offer a graduate assistantship and pay the students. In turn, MSU pays the graduate assistant's tuition, fees and salary, so the assistantship is directly tied to the academic experience. (pressmaster/Adobe Stock)

play sound

By Victoria Lim for WorkingNation.Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi for Missouri News Service reporting for the WorkingNation-Public News Service Col…


Social Issues

play sound

A new report brands Connecticut's tax system as "regressive" for low- to middle-income residents and uses a report from the state to make its point…

Environment

play sound

Backers of a new federal rule said it will increase fairness for livestock and poultry producers, in North Carolina and across the country. The U.S…


A study by the advocacy group Inseparable showed one in five adults said at any given time, they consider their mental health to be either 'fair' or 'poor.' (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Mental health care advocates are encouraging federal agencies to adopt a proposed update to regulations which would expand access to psychological car…

Social Issues

play sound

With hotter summers bringing hotter working conditions, the Maryland Department of Labor is implementing a heat stress standard to protect workers …

Out-of-state money is pouring into Texas as the contentious issue of "school choice" looms large ahead of November's election. (Dzmitry/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

By Jimmy Cloutier for OpenSecrets.Broadcast version by Roz Brown for Texas News Service reporting for the OpenSecrets-Public News Service Collaboratio…

Environment

play sound

Recreational fishermen in New England say commercial trawlers are threatening the survival of smaller businesses relying on a healthy stock of Atlanti…

Social Issues

play sound

Women are treated much differently than men by the criminal justice system, according to a new report detailing how and why mass incarceration is …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021