Advocates for Community and Rural Education, also known as the Rural Community Alliance, has been awarded a three-year, nearly $1.06 million grant it will use to provide workforce training in cyber-related fields and support remote work opportunities in five Delta counties.
The grant comes from U.S. Department of Labor, through a partnership with the Delta Regional Authority and Workforce Opportunity For Rural Communities.
The alliance is partnering with the Forge Institute in Little Rock on the grant.
The grant will allow the Forge Institute to offer its seven-week information technology/cyber fundamentals program and 14-week cyber training bootcamp courses for free to more than 50 people from Ashley, Chicot, Phillips, Searcy and St. Francis counties. The training will begin in the first quarter of next year.
The training will be virtual, with local community buildings serving as education hubs. The buildings will be retrofitted and equipped with necessary training supplies and virtual learning equipment.
After participants are trained, those spaces can be used by people in the community to work remotely as cybersecurity and IT professionals.
According to a news release, there are thousands of unfilled cyber-related jobs in Arkansas and more than 465,000 unfilled jobs in the U. S. Demand for those positions is projected to grow 33% through 2030.
In the counties that will benefit from the grant, the median household income is $20,595, Forge Institute CEO Lee Watson said in the release.
“The training we provide can boost that household income up to $45,000. That’s a life-altering pay upgrade and there is plenty of room to grow,” he said.
“This will allow individuals to become employed in a field that’s relevant and also allows them to remain located in their rural communities,” added Candace Williams, executive director of Advocates for Community and Rural Education.
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