Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders introduced the new Arkansas LAUNCH website at an event in Benton on Tuesday, aiming to connect job seekers with employment opportunities and career development resources.
The governor described Arkansas LAUNCH as an all-in-one platform designed to serve the state’s workforce. The website will offer access to job listings, training programs, and unemployment resources. Sanders also revealed plans to integrate the website with the state’s university system, allowing coordination between university applications, career goals, training needs, and scholarships.
“Arkansas LAUNCH will connect employers and job seekers, helping grow our workforce and empower Arkansans to get off the sidelines and into the job market,” Sanders said. “This free platform will not only help connect people to existing jobs they qualify for but also show them pathways to up-skill so they can keep moving up the ladder.”
Since its launch, the website has had 11,257 unique users who have engaged with 34,646 job postings. Currently, LAUNCH lists 5,777 available jobs from 634 employers.
The governor emphasized the website’s role in boosting the state’s workforce participation rate, which remains one of the lowest in the country.
The site is powered by CiviForm technology, which helps streamline access to municipal services online. According to Google.org product management director Dan Peterson, Arkansas is the first state to implement CiviForm.
Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, assisted with the development of LAUNCH, which was funded by Walmart. Peterson mentioned that Google.org collaborated with the Research Improving People’s Lives (RIPL) team for the project.
Julie Gehrki, president of the Walmart Foundation and senior vice president at Walmart, highlighted the company’s commitment to supporting Arkansas workers. “Arkansas is Walmart’s home,” Gehrki said. “We employ over 57,000 people here and we’re proud to play a role in helping all workers across the state access opportunities to be successful and realize their American dream.”
For more details, visit Launch.Arkansas.Gov.
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