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To mark Economic Development Week starting today, the U of A Professional and Workforce Development department wants to share an economic development initiative it has built and implemented to give back to the Northwest Arkansas community.

The International Economic Development Councilcreated Economic Development Week in 2016 to recognize economic development organizations and professionals who work in their communities. They have continued this tradition to promote and raise awareness for local job creation programs, advance career development opportunities and improve communities' quality of life everywhere.

RazorLearnRazorLearn is a U of A community-based initiative that connects you with volunteer community experts and civic leaders who want to share special skills and explore shared interests that are relevant to our lives, healthand growth.

For this initiative the PWD team, headed by Katie Ricardo, workforce coordinator, gathered proposals from local business owners, UofA alumni and company executives to build a catalog of inspiring and informative course topics.

"We have connected local communities with experts willing to share the knowledge they have worked hard to attain," Ricardo said.

The program is free to the public, and anyone can register. The current course catalog includes lecture categories such as retail, mental health, small business, a Lean Six Sigma White Belt certification and many more.

"The fact that so many people want to donate their time to teach their skills to this community is amazing," Ricardo said. "We already see that residents are attending and getting the most out of this free education offering."

PWD is gearing up to continue this series of classes and is taking new proposals. We want to hear from you if you are a subject matter expert who would like to share skills and knowledge and be part of the forward-thinking effort at the UofA and Northwest Arkansas.

ReimagineReimagine Arkansas Workforce Project is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to help Arkansas residents get free online career training. The program and our team have helped over 2,000 Arkansans acquire training in 15 career fields, and 74 out of the 75 counties in Arkansas have had participant enrollments.

Our Reimagine team has been building courses, processing applications and helping thousands of Arkansans gain free online career training since August 2021. Team members have worked closely with the Arkansas Department of Workforce Development, local companies and many participants to offer the best grant-based program possible.

Some courses built to bring skilled workers into the workforce include Industrial Design, Aerospace Composites and Solar Energy (still in the building phase). The grant will end this fall.

"The grant may be ending, but we still have so many more people to help get signed up and begin on their futures," said Kerry Garcia, grant application specialist.

If you or someone you know may qualify for this grant, complete an application by Sept. 29.

PWD team members Kaleb Futch, Mark Berkowick and Austin Conely (former team member) collaborate at Learning Lab in Bentonville.

Reskill ArkansasPWD partners with the Arkansas Center for Data Science to help individuals start careers through online training. The Reskill AR program helps unemployed or underemployed individuals find stable, well-paying jobs at no cost to them through IT training programs and apprenticeships. Those who participate and gain experience through technology-focused training will discover their skills in demand throughout the state.

Mark Berkowick, assistant director of workforce readiness, has been working with area IT businesses and departments to research demand and pave the way to build the IT workforce in NWA since 2016.

"Some people want a thriving career in IT but don't know where to start and don't want to go back to school for a degree," he said. "We allow those people to take non-credit IT career training courses through the IT Readiness Program and potentially gain an apprenticeship for on-the-job training through Reskill AR."

Reskill AR had 295 participants in 2022. Some jobs in IT include IT generalist, web developer, software developer and cybersecurity specialist.

Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Career CoursesThe drone industry is on the rise in NWA. With the increase of drone delivery through local Walmart stores and drones used in agriculture and surveying, we saw an opportunity to help build and promote skilled workers for these jobs.

The PWD team has worked closely with Rich Ham, associate director of the Master of Science in Operations Management in the College of Engineering, to offer a hybrid, non-credit introductory drone class. Ham has almost 40 years of expertise in security, safety operations, program administration, compliance and enforcement. He has taught local area high school students the basics of drone operations and brought that curriculum to U of A PWD to offer to the rest of the community.

PWD will announce a new course this month that offers online training for drone pilots who have already received FAA certification and want to take their skills to the next level.

"Economic development is a multidimensional and continuous process utilized to create access for people and geographic regions," said LaShanda Owens, PWD manager. "Greater access removes barriers and provides people and regions with the capability to choose their own destiny. Our PWD team is skilled at defining and building training that helps bridge the gaps between industry, education and human capital. What this team does for the local area and the great state of Arkansas is amazing! Reimagine, Reskill and RazorLearn are just a few of the many ways PWD has engaged with the citizens of Arkansas. I am proud to be a part of this amazing team."

Current career opportunities within the U of A Professional and Workforce department include:

Program Coordinator

Special Projects Analyst

About the University of Arkansas Global Campus and Professional and Workforce Development: The Global Campus provides expertise in developing and delivering both academic and training courses and offers instructional design services, media production, and assistance with program planning and marketing. UofA Professional and Workforce Development, a division of the Global Campus, is a hub for professional and workforce development programs and courses. For a complete list of services available, visit the UofA Professional and Workforce Development website.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the UofA provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the UofA among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the UofA among the top public universities in the nation. See how the UofA works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.

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Professional and Workforce Development Team Celebrates ... - University of Arkansas Newswire

What Is An AI Course?

Artificial intelligence or AI is no longer restricted to the world of science-fiction or movies, in fact AI is something which we are dealing with on an everyday basis. Whether it is solving your queries via live chat bots or chatting with Siri or Alexa, AI has become an integral part of our everyday lives. Artificial intelligence has also become one of the most happening and trending topics on the internet.

Since each and every individual and businesses are trying to implement AI based applications in some or the other way, it also opens up for an endless amount of job and career opportunities in this particular AI field.

To help you understand the career path and choices in AI, Forbes Advisor India has prepared a detailed guide on AI learning courses which talks deeply about the various programs, their curriculum and how such courses would help you to build a successful career in AI and achieve excellence in this particular domain.

Just type on the internet AI courses and you will get a plethora of options related to AI or machine learning online courses, whether short-term or long-term, or for individuals or for businesses.

AI or artificial intelligence is a branch of computer science which emphasizes the creation and formation of intelligent machines, which are capable of reacting and working like human beings. For instance, applications such as expert systems, speech recognition, machine vision, and digital assistance are some of the examples of AI in the real-world.

AI based courses are the specific programs which help you to acquire the skills of the entire AI ecosystem. These courses are generally designed at advanced and beginner level which can be offered for free or against a particular course fee. Also, if you are keen on taking up an AI course, then you should have some knowledge and experience in at least one of the following programming languages such as Python, C/C++ or MATLAB.

The field of artificial intelligence covers programming, natural language processing, coding, mathematics, computer science, and many other disciplines. An AI tutorial or course covers key concepts, such as:

Data scienceMachine learning (ML)Deep learningReal-world applicationsPredictive analysisCloud computingStatistical softwareData managementAI programming

To enroll in a beginner-level program or advanced level, the applicant needs to select their program of interest and fulfill the formalities to begin an application. Then, as a next step, the applicant will be contacted by an admissions counselor, who can also solve any of your queries at this stage and thus help you with the next process.

AI courses the new-age programs designed to offer solid engagement techniques with a mix of online and face to face interaction. The courses are interactive which might also include video sessions, online and offline consultation, all under the guidance of expert faculty.

However, the eligibility criteria of each program depend on the kind of course one selects. Each program has its own set of requirements. Therefore, applicants must contact their counselor to know the basic criteria or requirements of the selected program directly.

Always remember:

Your course must be fully accredited to a recognized university.Programs must be designed and delivered by university faculty.Applicants should have direct access to all-inclusive support from an admissions counselor, an academic advisor.Programs must allow you to collaborate with peers and faculty.Includes mentorship from industry experts.Your AI program must be affiliated with a decent number of hiring partners.

If you want to learn ML or AI in India then, you can do this via two options which are:

University or College AI Courses

If the applicant wants to pursue their masters and have a proper degree in ML or AI, then they can opt for the college courses. But for proper college courses, the eligibility criteria is wide, as for this, the applicant has to clear the national level examination known as Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) and score a good rank under 500. Such a score will surely help the applicant to secure a prestigious college for the masters program in AI.

The course fees for the two-year duration in these IITs, NITs and IIITs will vary as per the selected course and college. Also, these colleges would also require the applicant to clear the written test and personal interview part to move ahead in the process.

Also remember, a masters degree will always be beneficial to expand the number of available AI job opportunities, especially for higher-level jobs. A masters degree will also give you greater earning opportunities and will allow you to work on a global scale.

Online or Offline Training AI Courses

These short-term training courses are perfect for working professionals who wish to change their job or want to make a career in AI. These training courses have a limited but resourceful curriculum which aims to prepare applicants via practical knowledge and assignments.

In such training courses, the applicant will explore everything AI and its algorithms in a specific duration. The course is also designed as per the current industry demands unlike the two-year masters program. Moreover, the applicant with limited budget can also harness the AI skills through such training courses.

Top Colleges And Universities for AI

Top Training Providers in India for AI

In our evolving global environment, the scope of artificial intelligence is immense and expanding on a continuous basis. There are several companies and segments which have been trying their hands on experimenting with AI and its application for quicker and accurate results.

Therefore, there are several career options in AI which can be considered by any eligible candidate, such as:

Acquiring AI and ML learning skills which can be applied directly to real-world scenarios will boost your employability factor. It will not only expand your practical knowledge of AI, but you will also be able to hold a credible qualification degree totally specialized on AI. And, this will make you an attractive candidate in the AI ecosystem.

Let see the benefits of pursuing your career in the field of AI:

At this stage, when AI is evolving, it not only assures a great salary but also promises a world full of great opportunities which will help you to stand out from the crowd. Thus, it is the ideal time to learn or acquire AI skills via these courses which helps you to build your foundation strong and so your resume which further helps you find your dream job.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

First, do proper research on various courses and college programs which offer AI based degrees. Remember, you might need a basic degree in Mathematics or computer technology to start with. Talk to course counselors or industry experts and gather most of the information on AI and how it works, before starting your career in AI.

The outlook of AI looks quite promising and positive. AI is nothing but a disruptive technology which might require people with niche skill sets and skilled professionals who are ready to fill in for AI based jobs.

Only top-level AI based jobs such as research scientist, AI engineers or big data engineer posts might require a master degree in AI or ML. Otherwise, most AI roles require solid skills with MATLAB, C/C++ and Python programming.

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AI Courses: What Are They, How They Work, Benefits Forbes ... - Forbes

Whether youre a freelancer or an enterprise-level company, its important to consider how you and your teams work best. We suggest looking at how each task management tool handles collaboration, communication, views and pricing structure.

Collaboration starts with your coworkers, but it also includes outsourced help and clients. If you need to share view-only boards with clients, ensure it offers that feature at the price point you can afford. Alternatively, some task management software let you invite clients or collaborators as guests and you can set permissions for different users.

Some task management tools are nothing but boards for listing and organizing tasks for a project. Others let users leave comments, send direct messages, start group chats or integrate with popular communication tools, such as Slack. Choose one that best fits your organizations communication requirements.

Kanban-style views are visual and very easy to use, but not everyone works best with that style of project management. If you need Gantt charts or a timeline view, be sure to consider what views each task management software offers as you whittle down your list of choices.

Finally, pricing structure is a huge part of choosing the right task management tool. If you have a small team, a per-user-per-month pricing plan might work fine for your budget. Larger teams may want to consider an enterprise plan with a custom price or a flat-fee price with unlimited users allowed.

The best task management software includes basic features to help you build and manage tasks and projects on the whole. Make sure these features are present even in the low-priced plans:

Task management software is made better with collaboration tools. Without ways to collaborate, youd still rely on email, phone calls and meetings to make sure everyone is on the same page. So, as you assign tasks, reassign projects and get feedback, its helpful to have all of that happen in one place. Look for these tools to help you collaborate within your task management software:

The best task management software today is cloud-based, so you should be able to access your tasks and projects from any browser. Still, its important to ensure that your chosen task management software supports the devices your team and company use. Most software create mobile apps for iOS and Android, but not all. If not, make sure the browser version is optimized for mobile, at least.

Its equally important to check the integrations available with task management software. Just because theres a missing feature in the software you want, there may be a way to integrate another app for a complete solution for your business. You may only need to add a time tracking app to your stack or you might want to connect your CRM or accounting software, such as Salesforce or QuickBooks.

Project and task management is notorious for ranging from simple to extremely complex. For larger businesses with multiple teams, there can be a lot of moving pieces with dependencies and various subtasks associated with each task. Thats why its vital to choose the right task management software for your teams or companys skill.

The easiest task management software has intuitive interfaces with drag-and-drop functionality, so you can create and move tasks around on a board or list. These are great entry-level task management software options. As your team or business grows, you may want to migrate to a more advanced task management software that includes Gantt charts and real-time reporting thats more helpful for managers and stakeholders.

Knowing when to use free vs. paid task management software comes down to the size of your business, projects and budget. Freelancers and ultra-small businesses can likely get away with the limitations of a free task management software solution. Limits are usually applied to the number of users, collaborators, tasks or projects, file size or advanced features.

As your needs grow, you may find you need to upgrade to a low- or mid-tier plan with more advanced features or fewer limitations. If youre a manager who needs to view various reports to study a myriad of data, you might need to start off with a paid plan as these reports arent usually available on free plans.

Another big difference between free vs. paid task management software is how the plans handle or allow workflow automation. Some free plans may allow some automation, but youre likely limited to a set number of actions per month and you may be surprised at how quickly those run out. Workflow builders are key to reducing the time you spend doing the most mundane parts of task management, so it could be worth it to you to start off with a paid plan anyway.

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10 Best Task Management Software (2023) Forbes Advisor - Forbes

The best free Gantt chart software makes it simple and easy to visualize project schedules without having to pay for a software subscription.

A Gantt chart (opens in new tab) is a very important project management tool (opens in new tab). It is basically a bar chart that illustrates the schedule of a project. It was popularized by Henry Gantt, a 19th-century American mechanical engineer, hence the name.

Gantt charts show not just the schedule of a project but also the dependency between various activities that make up the project. You can draw a Gantt chart manually, but thatll take a lot of time compared to using a software platform.

We researched extensively to identify the best free Gantt chart software that you can use. To draw up our list, we considered several important factors like pricing, customer support, features, performance, etc.

We've also listed the best free project management software.

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure youre buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

1. ClickUp

Best for designers/creative teams

Intuitive interface

Fosters collaboration

Real-time reporting

ClickUp is a project management tool thats popular with designers and people in creative jobs. It offers a free plan thats suitable for personal use. This free plan enables you to manage unlimited tasks/projects and collaborate on tasks with other users.

As a team lead, you can create a project and assign subtasks to different people under your team. Theyll indicate their progress on ClickUp, and you as the administrator can easily monitor individual or group progress. This is where ClickUps Gantt chart view comes into play.

You can visualize the progress of any project with ClickUps Gantt chart view. Just hover your mouse on any task on the chart, and ClickUp will show you a progress percentage; it calculates this by dividing the completed tasks by the total number of tasks in the chart.

A major problem with Gantt charts is that some tasks are dependent on other tasks within the chart, so you would have to notify other team members if you make any changes, and doing that individually can be time-consuming. ClickUp makes it easy by automatically notifying anyone after making changes to a related task. Likewise, the platform prevents users from accessing a task only until the preceding task has been completed.

An advantage of using ClickUp is that the platform goes a long way to foster collaboration among a team. There's a real-time chat feature, so team members can communicate instantly and exchange important information. Multiple people can also edit documents simultaneously, with any change reflected in real time. Likewise, multiple users can brainstorm and exchange ideas using the virtual whiteboard.

ClickUp is an effective project management tool with an intuitive interface, and the Gantt chart display feature is just one of its attractions.

Best for small businesses

Great customer service

Affordable premium plans

Zoho is an Indian software company famous for providing free or affordable alternatives to popular software tools. Zoho Projects is a project management tool offered by the company. The free version of this software lets you manage a maximum of 2 projects at a time and has limited storage, but you can upgrade to a premium plan for managing unlimited projects and have unlimited storage for an affordable fee.

With Zoho Projects, you can use Gantt charts to plan and track your projects. Zoho offers its own Gantt chart tool that operates based on a drag-and-drop interface, so you just need to drag and drop between task bars to define relationships and dependencies. This tool supports the four types of task dependencies; Finish to Start, Finish to Finish, Start to Finish, and Start to Start.

You can even add new tasks right within Zoho's Gantt chart tool. Hovering over a task name will display additional information such as the owner, progress percentage, and start and end dates.

You can download a copy of your Gantt chart in PDF format or share it via email to be used in project presentations. In all, Zoho Projects is a stellar tool to keep track of your projects in the Gantt chart format.

Read our full Zoho Projects review.

3. Toms Planner

Best for personal use

Easy to use

Great value for money

The name Toms Planner has a personal feel, which provides a hint that its a project management tool designed for individual use. Unlike other platforms on this list, Toms Planner is purely web-based; theres no mobile or desktop app for it.

Toms Planner is designed specifically for creating and managing Gantt charts. It uses a drag-and-drop interface, so you just need to use your mouse to drag and drop modules to build your Gantt chart. You can add blocks easily to your chart and extend, contract, or move them around.

You can invite unlimited team members to participate in building your Gantt chart. Toms planner offers an intuitive interface that makes it easy to use, so other team members may not need much training to get used to it.

Tom's Planner lets you track the progress of the Gantt chart tasks with visual tools like traffic lights and colored time blocks. Youll also see the progress percentage of every task, which makes it easy to know who is on schedule or behind schedule.

With a single click, you can change your monitoring schedule from monthly to weekly, daily, hourly, or down to specific times. This dynamic overview of the project schedule makes it easy to spot any errors before they morph into something serious.

The free plan of Tom's Planner lets you monitor just one project at a time. The Professional plan ($9.95 per month) increases that limit to 20 and the Unlimited plan ($19.95 per month) has no limit on the number of projects.

4. TeamGantt

Best for small teams

Easy team communication

Save Gantt charts as templates

TeamGantt, as its name suggests, is a software package that enables teams to create and collaborate on Gantt charts. You can take advantage of the free plan, although it supports a maximum of 1 project and 2 collaborators. If you want to upgrade, you can start with the Lite plan which costs $24 per month for each manager and 5 collaborators working under them.

Just like other tools on this list, TeamGantt sports a drag-and-drop interface. You can simply use your mouse to drag and drop building blocks and connect them with arrows to create your Gantt charts. With a single mouse click, you can change start and end dates reorder tasks just the way you want, and adjust your timelines.

With this tool, you can monitor all your projects from one screen and easily spot any conflicts between them. You'll also get additional tools to manage your human resources and ensure everyone is working but not overloaded.

Users can see every update about their projects on a single page and share them with others if need be. With a single click, you can see the completion status of all your projects and identify which ones are going well or falling behind.

If you want to switch from Gantt charts, no problem, as TeamGantt also supports calendar and list view. This platform notably has a mobile app, so you can work from anywhere and on the go.

TeamGantt is good for personal use and for small teams. It gets pretty expensive for large teams, which makes it unideal in this case.

5. dotProject

Best for technical users

Completely free

Very customizable

dotProject stands out from other tools on this list because it is completely free and open-source. There is no company behind this product; it is maintained by a global team of volunteers. Anyone is free to download it or contribute changes and updates if they have the time.

dotProject allows you to create Gantt charts with ease. But, unlike other tools, it doesnt have a modern, drag-and-drop interface. Youll need to input values and do some programming to customize your Gantt chart. This is why dotProject is best for technical users that are familiar with programming; non-technical users should stay away from it.

dotProject also lacks third-party integrations, which puts it at a disadvantage compared to the competition.

Compatibility: How can you access the platform? Is it web-based or does it offer mobile or desktop apps? You should consider how you prefer to access your project management tool before picking it. Otherwise, using it may be inconvenient and stressful.

Cost: If you need to upgrade from the free version, how much would it cost? Does it fit within your personal or organizational budget? The good thing is that most project management tools list their prices on their website, so youll always know what to pay beforehand.

Third-party integration: No platform will offer everything that you need, so you may need third-party integration for extra functionality. For instance, you may need to link your Gantt chart software with a tool that enables instant messaging between team members.

Ease of use: Its important to select a tool that you and your team will find easy to navigate, especially if they are non-technical people.

We've also listed the best collaboration apps.

Round up of today's best deals

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Best free Gantt chart software of 2023 - TechRadar

Amazon is adding more of its original programming to its ad-supported streaming service Freevee. This month, users can watch the first three episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty, A League of Their Own, The Terminal List, and Paper Girls, among others. Users will also be able to watch full seasons of Homecoming, Upload and The Vast Night.

Later in the year, Freevee will add the entire first seasons of the Amazon original shows Reacher and The Wheel of Time. Season 2 of The Wheel of Time will begin exclusively on Amazon Prime Video shortly after the first season premieres on Freevee.

Freevee is available as an app on Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TVs and other streaming devices. It doesn't require a paid subscription and is supported by limited ads.

The Amazon original shows will continue to be available ad-free on Prime Video, which costs $9 a month as a standalone service or comes bundled with a Prime membership for $15 a month or $140 a year.

See Also: Best Live TV Streaming Service for Cord-Cutters in 2023

Currently, Freevee mixes Amazon original programming with offerings such as Judy Justice, the music documentary Post Malone: Runaway, and the sports documentary Uninterrupted's Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers, among others.

For more, see which streaming services to keep in May and what the HBO Max rebrand means for your account.

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You Can Watch Episodes of Amazon Originals for Free on Freevee - CNET