Farris hired as career coach at UACCB
BATESVILLE - Jacob Farris has been hired as career coach for the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville.
In his position as career coach, Farris will work with the Cave City School District and work alongside the guidance counselor to help prepare students for success in postsecondary education, training and their careers.
"UACCB is an extremely friendly place to work," Farris said. "Each employee and student is made to feel that they are important to the success of the college. I really couldn't ask for better people to work with on a daily basis as well as the people at the Cave City School District. They have all made me feel welcome and have been very supportive of this new position."
Farris and his wife, Katrina, were both born in Batesville and have extended family in Batesville and the Evening Shade area. They recently moved from Beebe to Cave City with their 11 month old son, Landon. Farris enjoys most sports, hunting, singing and spending time with his family.
"The educational field holds a special place in my heart, as my mom teaches fourth grade at Beebe Public Schools and my dad is a vice chancellor at ASU Beebe," Farris said. "I hope to make a difference in the students' lives by helping them to figure out what they want to do as a career and then work as hard as I can to help them achieve that goal."
The career coach initiative is the second expansion of Arkansas Works announced by Gov. Mike Beebe and expands on features found in the Arkansas College and Career Planning System. The pilot program identified 21 of Arkansas's most economically challenged counties and hired and placed 43 full-time career coaches in colleges and high schools within these counties.
Arkansas Works, available at http://www.arworks.arkansas.gov, was introduced in November to help the unemployed and underemployed with career planning and exploration of additional educational job training opportunities.
While the Arkansas College and Career Planning System is available to all Arkansans, the college and career coaches will specifically target high school students. In addition, special attention will be given to low-income students who many times leave high school without aspirations for postsecondary education or training, often because no one in their family or peer group has attended college. Coaches will identify these students while they are in high school and encourage them to aspire to postsecondary education as the means to a career that will afford economic self-sufficiency.
Counties with the full-time career coaches include Newton, Searcy, Stone, Sharp, Jackson, Poinsett, Mississippi, Woodruff, Crittenden, St. Francis, Monroe, Lee, Phillips, Desha, Chicot, Jefferson, Bradley, Ouachita, Nevada, Hempstead and Lafayette.
The College and Career Planning System can be accessed by all Arkansans at http://www.arworks.arkansas.gov or by calling 1-866-ARWORKS (1-866-279-6757). Participants must visit a Workforce Development Center to receive login information.
