The University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana recently held the first-ever "Be A Model, Break The Mold" career exploration event for young women in Southwest Arkansas schools. The event was an opportunity for female students to gain hands-on experience in nontraditional career fields.
The event was held in conjunction with Southwest Arkansas Education Cooperatives, including De Queen-Mena Education Service Cooperative, South Central Service Cooperative, and Southwest Arkansas Education Cooperative. "We hope this event helped open the eyes of these young women to good career fields that they may not have previously considered," Akili Moses-Israel, Director of Business and Industry Training, said.
Each young woman was allowed to learn about three different industries. The entire UAHT Technical and Industrial Division participated and highlighted industries including welding, industrial maintenance, electricity, diesel mechanics, information technology, coding, business, solar power, and HVAC. "All of these career fields offer jobs with good salaries and are in high demand across our region," Moses-Israel stated. "Hopefully, the hands-on experience these ladies received at the event will motivate them to consider these career fields. UAHT offers quality training in each of these areas. Many of these certificates can even be earned while the students are still in high school through our Secondary Career and Technical Education Center."
Schools in attendance included:
• Genoa Central High School
• Mineral Springs High School
• Blevins High School
• Fouke High School
• Hope High School
• Nevada High School
• Spring Hill High School
• Harmony Grove High School
A total of 82 students attended the event along with visitors from the Education Co-ops, Arkansas Department of Education Department of Career & Technical Education, local CTE teachers, and the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce.
For more information about Technical and Industrial programs available at UAHT, call 870-777-5722.
Registration for spring classes at the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana is open now through January 12, 2022. The College will hold extended hours registration on January 5 and 6 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Classes begin on Monday, January 10, 2022.
