Southern Arizona Leaders Advance Actionable Strategies to Strengthen Workforce Development

TUCSON, Ariz., Nov. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the past ten months, the Southern Arizona Workforce Leadership Academy (Academy) has united a diverse group of leaders from business, education, government, and community organizations to tackle urgent workforce challenges and identify opportunities to strengthen the regional economy.

Now, Fellows are sharing actionable recommendations — developed through deep collaboration and shared learning over the past year — that chart a path forward for Southern Arizona's workforce. Their proposals offer practical strategies to:

• Enhance workforce infrastructure and childcare
• Strengthen industry's role in career exploration
• Connect to young adults who are not currently in school or working — often referred to as Opportunity Youth
• Leverage proven workforce development strategies

These recommendations are not theoretical. They represent real, cross-sector solutions ready for action — designed by and for regional partners committed to advancing opportunity and prosperity across Southern Arizona. Community, business, and education leaders are encouraged to engage directly with the Fellows, learn from their insights, and collaborate to bring these strategies to life.

"The Southern Arizona Workforce Leadership Academy brings leaders together to take action," said Dr. Sybil Francis, Chair, President & CEO of Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA). "Through this collaboration, we're seeing practical solutions that can strengthen workforce systems and create more opportunity for people and communities across the region."

Offered by CFA in partnership with The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and in collaboration with Pima Community College, the Academy brought together 18 senior-level workforce development professionals representing Pima, Santa Cruz, Cochise, and Yuma counties. Through shared learning and collaboration, Fellows gained a deeper understanding of how their individual work fits into a larger regional ecosystem.

"I now understand how education, workforce, and industry partners can come together to address shared challenges instead of working in silos. I've learned to look beyond individual programs and think more intentionally about long-term, systems-level solutions that make opportunities more accessible and equitable," said Mariana Martinez Reynoso, CTE Director of Work-Based Learning at Yuma Union High School District in Yuma County.

Building on that shared perspective, Fellows examined persistent challenges — from workforce retention to alignment between education and employer needs — and developed recommendations grounded in data, community insights, and local expertise.

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SOURCE Center for the Future of Arizona