ADHE Logo

About CPI

Monieca West, Interim Program Director

Career Pathways Initiatives (CPI), which began serving clients in fall 2005, seeks to improve the earnings through postsecondary education attainment of Arkansas' low-income "TANF-eligible" adults by enabling them to work in industries of regional importance.  Administered by the Arkansas Division of Higher Education (ADHE), with funding from the Division of Workforce Services (DWS), ADHE/CPI provides an opportunity for 25 campuses to develop Career Pathways Initiatives.

CPI will provide you with a counselor/advisor and tutor to help you choose classes, get enrolled and put you and your family on the road to a better life.

Objectives for Career Pathways

CPI seeks to improve the working relationships among public systems and enhance existing programs and services to help low-income parents gain workplace skills leading to economic self-sufficiency and reduced temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) reliance. It also seeks to provide employers in key industries in Arkansas with skilled workers. The initiative accomplishes these goals by enabling upward educational and career mobility in targeted career fields for low-wage individuals. This focus represents a shift from traditional programs in Arkansas, which have typically aimed to reduce TANF rolls by moving recipients into low-wage, entry-level jobs that provide little opportunity for career development and industry focus.

CPI’s objectives for program participants are:

  • Increased enrollment in college-level certificate and associate degree programs
  • Increased attainment of college-level certificate and associate degrees
  • Increased job attainment and job retention in key industries

The initiative serves students who are current or former recipients of Transitional Employment Assistance (TEA); current recipients of food stamps, ARKids, or Medicaid; or those earning 250 percent of the federal poverty level or less. Individuals must be an adult caretaker, parent or relative of a child living in the home under the age of 21(FY12 MOA).

Additionally, the initiative seeks to improve the level of engagement among educators and employers to generate work opportunities for students and serve the workforce needs of the private sector.