The Economic Development Alliance for Jefferson County held their annual Connecting Educators to Industry professional development on Tuesday. The meetings included tours of local industries and a meeting with a panel of industrial leaders.
Those industrial leaders included Tim DeJarnette, President of The Strong Company, Bill Ward, Mill Manager at Twin Rivers Paper Company, Felita Wilkes, Senior HR Partner at Tyson Foods, and Justin Lieber, Director of Business Operations and Planning at the Pine Bluff Arsenal.
All four members on the panel said that there are good jobs to be had in Jefferson County with room to advance from entry level jobs once a person graduates from high school to more advanced, better paying jobs that an employee can work their way into.
Tim DeJarnette from The Strong Company spoke about that.
DeJarnette also touched on increased production and wages since the COVID-19 pandemic came to an end.
Bill Ward said Twin Rivers Paper Company is working to let the community know they need more employees.
Ward said they are wanting to help work to improve the local community and the lives of local citizens.
One thing that each member of the panel agreed on is that teachers should help students understand that every place of employment has entry level jobs, and those students must be patient and determined to pay their dues and be willing to work their way up the ladder by being willing to get to work once they receive a job.
They also told teachers that students need to be taught how to talk and communicate better in order to help them with future employment.
