20 school visits, a trip to DC, a month’s worth of education and training…canceled due to the coronavirus circling the globe. The Arkansas “workshop on wheels” simulator trailer is at home in Little Rock, sterilized and waiting to get back on the road. Eventually. 

In early March, the Be Pro, Be Proud workshop trailer was the star of the ConExpo show in Las Vegas, getting students to explore and sample 12 professional trades in a virtual environment. But the show closed early as a safety precaution against the novel coronavirus that was spreading in the U.S., and the Arkansas employees – with trailer – had to head home.

Those employees are now working hard fundraising for the next iteration of the Be Pro, Be Proud education system – virtual tours a student can experience at their school via computer. 

The Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce is working with a video game developer to make these experiences as realistic and informative as possible. The Chamber is also working with the Department of Commerce and Department of Education to get every 7th – 12th grader a virtual experience via an Internet link – as a carpenter, welder, lineman, truck driver, or any of the 12 occupations that are represented in the actual trailer. 

While the trailer is limited to where time and the roads can take it, the Internet is an alternative route to reach every student in the state, on their own schedule. 

With the need for skilled workers growing every year, the virtual experience via the trailer comes to you. Or if you search it out on the Internet, Be Pro, Be Proud is a perfect match for anyone to sample a future fulfilling career. 

To learn more about Be Pro, Be Proud, please visit www.beprobeproud.org, or contact Trey Lamberth at 501-372-2222.