Achieve Pinal

A Project of Pinal Alliance for Economic Growth

Achieve Pinal is a regional grassroots effort dedicated to working with education, government, business and other community partners to develop a competitive workforce for future jobs by improving educational attainment in Pinal County. Achieve Pinal is working to achieve the primary goal of Achieve60AZ, which is: Ensuring that 60 percent of Arizonans have a certificate or college degree by the year 2030. All actions implemented by Achieve Pinal will support four key strategies that have been identified to support the achievement of this critical goal.

Achieve Pinal has launched two critical initiatives to improve educational attainment in Pinal County. The AARP Experience Corps Pinal-Casa Grande was launched in November 2020. Being able to read by the end of third grade is the crucial milestone in a child’s future success. Students who are unable to read at the end of the third grade are four times more likely to leave school without a diploma. Only 37% of third graders in Pinal County are reading at grade level, which is approximately half of the statewide goal.

AARP Experience Corps Pinal-Casa Grande is the newest affiliate of the AARP Experience Corps program. There are 22 other Experience Corps affiliates nationwide, and their effectiveness is demonstrated by multiple university studies. The program utilizes volunteers, aged 50+, to work with children one-on-one to improve their reading.

Tutoring began in November 2020 and the program has recruited a full complement of volunteer tutors. These tutors will work with over 100 students in three Casa Grande elementary schools. After a two-year pilot, the goal is to make the program available to other school districts in Pinal County. Up to this time, Experience Corps programs have been offered in large to medium sized cities. We are the first rural community, and we want our program to be a model for smaller communities nationwide. Expo is a free app, accessible to all, offering a career exploration experience with professionals in a variety of careers. Career fields have been identified in partnership with ARIZONA@WORK. New and diverse job opportunities continue to come to Pinal County. Employers like Lucid Motors, Abbott, Resolution Copper and Nikola are seeking employees with a variety of skills, experience and education. Abbott and Resolution Copper sponsored the app’s development.

The labor analytics firm, Emsi, that ranks counties by various economic development factors, announced the results of their recent study in January 2021. The study evaluated counties in terms of migration, overall job growth, skilled-job growth, educational attainment, regional competitiveness and annual job openings per capita. The study analyzed 601 counties throughout the United States including nine of Arizona’s 15 counties. Pinal County was the secondhighest ranked county in Arizona and 29th in the nation. The Emsi report also stated that small and medium sized markets are becoming more attractive to workers rather than living in a larger, metropolitan area. The Career Expo app will aid students, workers and employers to access information about the exciting job opportunities in Pinal County. The county’s job growth and job openings are amongst the best in the state and nation.

Jobs are changing rapidly. This is a period of unprecedented change and the pace is accelerating. Technology is impacting work more and more every day. Many jobs will require education beyond high school. Currently in Arizona, only 45 percent of adults have education beyond a high school diploma. Pinal County is at 36 percent. In order for Arizona to be competitive, increasing the number of individuals who are equipped with a high value professional certificate or degree, is an area of needed improvement.

“The students in Pinal County are the future of our community, and we want to do whatever we can to make sure they have access to an innovative experience that builds career exploration, connects students to employers, and improves post-secondary attainment,” said Bryan Seppala, Resolution Copper Economic and Workforce Development.

To access the free app, visit your mobile device app store to download CrowdCompass Events. Then search for Achieve Pinal’s Virtual Career Expo. The app can also be accessed via any browser at: https://event.crowdcompass.com/ virtualcareerexpo

To volunteer, to donate or for more information about Achieve Pinal, visit Achievepinal.org or call Pinal Alliance at 520-836-6868.

Pinal Alliance for Economic Growth is a private nonprofit economic development organization serving the interests of large and small businesses as well as local jurisdiction of Pinal County.