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SRDC Items of Interest
John J. Green Named SRDC Director
Green will become director of the SRDC on Aug. 1. He is a professor of sociology and senior research associate with the Center for Population Studies at the University of Mississippi. Previously, he was director of this center and the State Data Center of Mississippi at UM. He is bringing a career immersed in Southern sociology and community development to his new position as director of the Southern Rural Development Center.
Regional Spotlight
ReOPEN Downtown Frankfort Grant Money Awarded to 18 Small Businesses
ReOPEN Downtown Frankfort (Kentucky) grant program partnered the Frankfort Area Chamber of Commerce and Frankfort First Foundation announced that more than $82,000 has been invested in downtown Frankfort’s small businesses. Kentucky State University Extension Service colleagues served on the project alongside other local community stakeholders.
The Rural Workforce Academy: A CED Unit - Prairie View A&M University
The Rural Workforce Academy (TRWA) is a pilot program funded by a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration Department of Commerce and Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU). Through that grant, PVAMU’s Cooperative Extension Program provides skilled trades training certification and job placement to rural counties impacted by disasters. The certifications offered provide value-added impact, addressing the much-needed rebuilding and recovery efforts in rural Texas.
Program participants choose one of four concentration areas of training: Welding, Core Construction, Certified Nursing Assistant, or Electrical Technician at no cost to the qualified applicant.
- The program’s accomplishments to date include: Total annual economic/employment impact: $1,726,000 - $2,550,000
- 25 Welder I jobs - Averaging $34-$54k ($850,000 - $1,350,000)
- 20 Certified Nursing Assistant - Averaging $27k-$38k ($540,000 - $760,000)
- 8 Electrician I - Averaging $42k-$55k ($336,000 - $440,000)
- 17 participants trained and received National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) certificate
- Approved by Department of Labor to offer job supplement pay to employers via Apprenticeship Program for up to 4,000 hours at $20hr., valued at $5,000,000+ over 4 years
Employee Spotlight: Natriez “Nate” Peterson, Prairie View A&M University
The Rural Workforce Academy (TRWA) is a pilot program funded by a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration Department of Commerce and Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU). Through that grant, PVAMU’s Cooperative Extension Program provides skilled trades training certification and job placement to rural counties impacted by disasters. The certifications offered provide value-added impact, addressing the much-needed rebuilding and recovery efforts in rural Texas.
Program participants choose one of four concentration areas of training: Welding, Core Construction, Certified Nursing Assistant, or Electrical Technician at no cost to the qualified applicant.
- The program’s accomplishments to date include: Total annual economic/employment impact: $1,726,000 - $2,550,000
- 25 Welder I jobs - Averaging $34-$54k ($850,000 - $1,350,000)
- 20 Certified Nursing Assistant - Averaging $27k-$38k ($540,000 - $760,000)
- 8 Electrician I - Averaging $42k-$55k ($336,000 - $440,000)
- 17 participants trained and received National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) certificate
- Approved by Department of Labor to offer job supplement pay to employers via Apprenticeship Program for up to 4,000 hours at $20hr., valued at $5,000,000+ over 4 years
Grant Connections
Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Education and Workforce Development
Deadline to apply: May 20 & May 27, 2021
Predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowship opportunities are available within the AFRI Education and Workforce Development (EWD)RFA with deadlines of 20 and 27 May, respectively. These individualized fellowships develop new scientists and professionals to enter research, education and/or Extension fields within the food and agricultural sciences in the private sector, government, or academia. EWD focuses on developing the next generation of research, education, and extension professionals in the food and agricultural sciences. EWD invites applications in seven areas: agricultural workforce training; professional development for agricultural literacy; training of undergraduate students in research and extension; fellowships for predoctoral candidates; fellowships for postdoctoral scholars; food and agricultural non-formal education; and a FY 2021-only program for evaluation of NIFA’s agricultural literacy and workforce development portfolio.
Conferences, Workshops, Trainings
National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP) Annual Conference – Open Spaces, Endless Possibilities
May 17-19, 2021 - Virtual
National Urban Extension Leaders Conference
May 18-20, 2021 - Virtual
A virtual conference will take place in May 2021 while the face-to-face conference has been postponed until May of 2022.
52nd Annual International Conference of the Community Development Society (CDS)
July 12-15, 2021 – Virtual
An incredible lineup of speakers will address the global challenges of climate change, labor, and immigration; and the over-arching effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fight for racial justice. Each speaker will be followed by a panel discussion of local resilience in the face of each of these challenges.
2021 Annual Meeting of the Rural Sociological Society
July 28 - August 1, 2021 – Virtual
There will be three plenary speaker sessions at the 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting. The date and time for each session has yet to be determined.
2021 Annual Meeting of the Rural Sociological Society
International Workshop on Agritourism presents:
Agritourism Gatherings: A virtual series for farm, food, and travel communities
The series starts May 11, 2021 – Virtual
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Workshop on Agritourism (IWA) scheduled for October 27-29, 2020 in Burlington, Vermont, USA will be postponed to August 30 – September 1, 2022.
However, they will be hosting a virtual workshop series that brings together farmers, researchers, service providers, tourism experts and many others to share their knowledge and experience from around the world. The gatherings are free to attend, but advance registration is required. A list of upcoming presentations is provided below with links to sign up to participate. All presentations will be held live; recordings will be added to this site after they are held.
Submit Announcements
Job announcements and other items of interest may be sent to Carmen Kelly for possible inclusion in future issues.
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