Arkansas Advanced Energy to host free employer forums in North Little Rock and Fort Smith
Hosted by AAEF in partnership with Metroplan
July 16, 2025
10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Shorter College
604 N. Locust Street, North Little Rock, AR 72114
The Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation (AAEF) announced today it will host two SkillStream employer forums this summer: the first on July 16, 2025, at Shorter College in North Little Rock and the second in Fort Smith on July 22, 2025. The free forums are an important component of AAEF’s SkillStream program, a local, employer-driven initiative to build a skilled workforce for Arkansas’s fast-growing energy industry.
Hosted by AAEF in partnership with City of Fort Smith
July 22, 2025
10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
The Blue Lion
101 N. 2nd Street, Fort Smith, AR 72901
“With major investments like HOMES, HEERHA, and Solar for All heading to Arkansas, we have a rare opportunity to align workforce training with real employer demand,” said April Ambrose, Director of Workforce Development for the Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation. “The funding and community partners are in place—now it’s up to energy employers to shape the path forward. Feedback from this forum and survey will directly inform the programs we design to support them and ensure Arkansas builds the skilled energy workforce this moment requires.”
The free forums, which include lunch, are opportunities for employers to share insights that will directly shape the design of Arkansas’s advanced energy workforce training and hiring pipeline. Employers participating in the forums will also receive:
- Access to funding streams and incentives;
- Engagement with top candidates;
- Assistance improving retention, innovation, and productivity, and
- Insights about economic development efforts shaping the region’s energy future.
Attendees planning to attend must RSVP in advance on the AAEF website. Employers unable to attend are still encouraged to complete the survey as part of the RSVP form. Survey results will be crucial to AAEF’s workforce development efforts.
"SkillStream represents a unique opportunity for Fort Smith to build a workforce that is ready for the future,” said Joshua Robertson, Fort Smith Director of Citizen & City Services. “By bringing together local employers, educators, and state/regional partners, we’re creating a direct pipeline that not only fills high-demand jobs in advanced energy and manufacturing but also gives our citizens access to stable, well-paying careers right here in our community."
The forums are made possible through a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to Metroplan, Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission and the City of Fort Smith. The Central Arkansas SkillStream Employer Forum is supported by Central Arkansas Planning and Development District, Arkansas Office of Skills Development and Shorter College. The Fort Smith Employer Forum is supported by the Western Arkansas Planning & Development District and the Arkansas Office of Skills Development.
More information about the forums, SkillStream, and AAEF is available on the AAEF website. Questions may be directed to April Ambrose: workforce@arkansasadvancedenergy.com.