2022 Newsletter Editions

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS – The Arkansas Center for Data Sciences (ACDS) has been awarded $1,390,214 by the Delta Regional Authority (DRA), in partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor, through the Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC) Initiative to further their proven model utilizing Pre-Apprenticeship Training, Work-Based Learning Internships, and Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAP) to …

ACDS Receives $1.39M Grant from the Delta Regional Authority, U.S. Department of Labor Read More »

CONSIDER THIS AN ACDS “halftime report,” except we’re not talking about football. Mid-September marks the halfway point of the U.S. Department of Labor’s 120-Day Cybersecurity Sprint, a national campaign to increase cybersecurity apprenticeships across the country. The Sprint was announced in late July and will culminate in November during National Apprenticeship Week. Our lead feature …

The Director’s Chair: September 2022 Read More »

An apple for the teacher (data shows not much else)…why QR codes can be dangerous…the Queen’s final flight was history’s most-tracked plane. Check it all out right here.

THE RACE IS ON Arkansas picks up the pace in a national 120-day cybersecurity sprint Interview with Lonnie Emard, ACDS Apprenticeship Director CYBER THREATS GROW daily, and the talent to combat them isn’t keeping up. It’s estimated that the U.S. as a whole has more than 700,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions; some 4,000 of those are …

The Apprenticeship Report: September 2022 Read More »

A HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE TECH CAREER GALAXY Insights from WhyteSpyder’s new Director of Insights and Strategy Laura Weiderhaft THERE ARE MANY paths to success in the tech world, and I’m living proof of it. In 2012, after graduating from the University of Arkansas with a B.A. in Economics and International Relations, I didn’t feel …

My Data Science with Laura Weiderhaft: September 2022 Read More »

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS – The Office of Skills Development (OSD), the Arkansas Center for Data Sciences (ACDS), and Forge Institute are hosting the Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Employer Accelerator on Wednesday, September 14th at 10AM to help Arkansas employers solve their challenge of hiring and retaining a talented cyber workforce. Registration for the virtual event is free. …

Apprenticeship Programs Address Cybersecurity Deficit in Arkansas Read More »

HOMELESS IN ARKANSAS How technology helps take care of those who’re down on their luck Sarah Wilson Case Manager, Conway Ministry Center FOR THE PAST five years I’ve worked for a nonprofit in Conway. We serve families in crisis, many of them being unsheltered and kind of living on the fringes. What I find in …

Guest Column with Sarah Wilson: August 2022 Read More »

(And what to do instead) Clint Hankinson, Director of Marketing, ACDS AFTER SUBMITTING DOZENS of job applications, weaving your way through multiple applicant-tracking systems, and agonizing over too many rejection emails, you’ve landed an interview…with a real person…with one of your top organizations! Great job! But don’t drop your guard. The exciting work is just …

7 Ways to Wreck Your Next Job Interview Read More »

Kris Adams, Director NWA Tech Summit, Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce FOR ANYBODY IN the tech world, the theme of the 9th annual Northwest Arkansas Technology Summit—“Fast Forward”—will certainly resonate. Staging this year’s Summit has also been an accelerated experience for its new director, Kris Adams, who just took the reins in March. We …

Q & A with Kris Adams: August 2022 Read More »

MIT’s robotic lightning bugs take flight…social media installs more age- appropriate protections…presenting Desdemona, an AI-created technology-jazz- fusion singer! Check it all out right here.