Expanding Economic Opportunity and Economic Competitiveness for Delta Residents and Employers
The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), a nonprofit organization that helps adult learners navigate on- and off-ramps between education and employment, is leading a partnership including two of its community colleges members – Arkansas State University Mid-South (ASU Mid-South) and Coahoma Community College (CCC), local workforce development board partners – the Workforce Development Board of Eastern Arkansas and the Delta Workforce Development Area Board, and regional employers to align education and employment and better serve adult learners and other underrepresented students in the Mississippi River Delta region.
The Advancing Delta Talent (ADT) initiative will focus on improving equitable economic opportunity in seven persistent-poverty counties within Arkansas and Mississippi. Working closely with ASU Mid-South and CCC, CAEL is fostering skills development through “stackable” college-issued and industry-based credentials, along with employability skills training through the National Career Readiness Certificate.