This WAGE ™ Start-up Course was designed by the Arkansas WAGE ™ Advisory Committee to help individual local education agencies (LEAs) develop a WAGE™ program for their areas. The ideas expressed in this course will assist LEAs in developing their own customized programs.

The time and effort given in the beginning will help to ensure success of the local WAGE™ program. A solid foundation for WAGE™ is important in meeting the local workplace and educational requirements.

The development stages of the WAGE™ program will be a continuous improvement process as the program grows and industry and education standards change. A successful WAGE™ program must have administrator and staff support-it will be their responsibility to sell WAGE™ to business, industry, and community leaders.

This WAGE™ Start-up Course is being offered to you because of your interest and/or participation in a WAGE™ program. It is important to know Arkansas WAGE™ Standards will be uniform; yet, each program can incorporate these standards into customized programs to fit local and regional needs.

Experience teaches us successful WAGE™ programs are reflected in the strengths of the partnerships forged through the initial advisory committee meetings. These partnerships set the WAGE™ program apart from others in the community. Without employers certifying academic skills, without the Department of Workforce Services (DWS) recruiting students, and without the support of the industrial development community, the program will suffer.

Taken from: WAGE™ Start-up Package-Adult Education Division-Arkansas Department of Career Education-revised March 2016