NORTHWEST ARKANSAS (KFSM) -- A new report is shedding light on the work force across Northwest Arkansas.
The 2017 Regional Employer Survey was a collaboration between Northwest Arkansas Council and the Northwest Arkansas Chambers of Commerce and surveyed nearly 500 area employers.
Among the key findings from the interviews include nearly 2,498 new hires planned over the next three years.
In contrast with surveys in years past, 19 percent of the companies said they planned to expand in the same time frame. That number was between 21 and 30 percents in the previous five surveys.
Nearly $750 million in investment is also planned over the next three years.
"It's a very good report for us. It's not the most robust we've had, but it is among the most robust we've had," said Steve Clark, president of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce.
Included in the report was another survey of 205 PRIME employers, referred to as the region's basic employers, and include areas like production, distribution and headquarters operations.
Among the top strengths in the PRIME category include a positive business climate and a stable community and economy.
The top weakness by a large margin was an inadequate skilled worker supply.
Jason Jones, principal at Siloam Springs High School is trying to change that.
"What we do here is we provide kids with an opportunity and expose them to opportunities that they were never going to have," Jones said.
The district has been doing that through a career and technical education program, particularly the Industrial Maintenance Program.
"Whether it's plumbing, HVAC, welding, anything from hydraulics to pneumatics ... lots of motor controls... PLC's," Jones explained.
Those areas of study are helping prepare students for many high demand jobs in the NWA job market.
"Students are being exposed to not only through cirruculum and hands on here at the school, but they're also being exposed to work out in the work force," Jones said.
That's setting them up for college, trade schools or even the work force, and the positive results from the program could be starting to surface.
While lack of skilled labor has remained the top weakness, fewer companies are having trouble finding skilled labor.
"That's very exciting news that we're training for skills that people need now. That just-in-time delivery of skills is important now at creating jobs and retaining jobs," Clark said.