Fort Smith SkillStream Employer Forum rescheduled to September 16

To allow more Fort Smith employers to attend, the City of Fort Smith and the Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation (AAEF) announced today that the free SkillStream Employer Forum scheduled for Tuesday, July 22, has been postponed to Tuesday, September 16, 2025, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Blue Lion at 101 N 2nd Street in Fort Smith.

The free forum is 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.

"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."

Attendees planning to attend must RSVP 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. The free forum, which includes lunch from Fort Smith staple Club House Kitchen, is an opportunity 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;

-        Assistance improving retention, innovation, and productivity;

-        Insights about economic development efforts shaping the region’s energy future;

-       Success stories from local, peer employers who have implemented workforce training programs with positive results; and

-       Post-survey access to survey results that provide never-before-available data on Arkansas’s advanced energy workforce needs—data that will inform future training programs, economic development strategies, and funding priorities across the state.

The forum will include insights from Lauren Waldrip, Executive Director for the Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation, Joshua Robertson, the Director of Citizen and City Services, Stephanie Isaacs, Director of the Office of Skills Development in the Arkansas Department of Commerce, a representative from the Western Arkansas Planning and Development District, as well as local employers.

“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 forum is made possible through a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency toMetroplan, Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission and the City of Fort Smith. 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.