(Editor’s Note: Each year, Arkansas Business partners with the Arkansas Municipal League to present the Trendsetter City awards, which recognize exceptional initiatives underway in municipalities across the state. Large, medium and small-sized cities were honored in six categories: Diversity and Inclusion; Education/Workforce Development; Infrastructure and Water; Public Works/Environmental and Green Management; Technology and Security; and Tourism Development/Creative Culture. Below is one winner’s story. For more, click here.)
Education/Workforce Development
Honorable Mention • Under 5,000
Population: 375
Mayor: Eric Jaeger
County: Searcy
Region: Northwest
The Challenge
Small towns in rural areas typically aren’t seen as hubs of innovation. When the town of Leslie got the opportunity to change that, it jumped on board. After several years of working with the city of Leslie and former mayor Talitha Hardin, plus a significant collaboration with the Greater Searcy County Chamber of Commerce, the town received a grant from the Department of Labor and the Delta Regional Authority.
In the first year of the program, the Forge Institute has successfully trained and graduated 23 individuals.
The Solution
With the grant, Leslie funded the renovation and equipping of a building as a workspace for online classes and remote work, as well as a free, 14-week cyber training boot camp. The Rural Community Alliance and the Forge Institute launched cybersecurity training in April 2022, giving Leslie a pipeline of trained cyber and IT personnel. In March 2023, Leslie’s IT Cyber Fundamentals class became the Forge Institute’s highest-performing class, with an average final grade of 93.29%.
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