Rio Salado College partners with Tempe Chamber of Commerce to address gaps in workforce skills

By Ignacio Ventura
Published: Monday, May 8, 2023 - 9:07am
Updated: Monday, May 8, 2023 - 11:27am

Rio Salado College President Kate Smith and Tempe Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Colin Diaz
Ignacio Ventura/KJZZ
Rio Salado College President Kate Smith and Tempe Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Colin Diaz sign the partnership for the Tempe Workforce Skills Accelerator program.

Rio Salado College and the Tempe Chamber of Commerce have formed a training partnership for local businesses. The Tempe Workforce Skills Accelerator program will offer training in small-business management, data analytics and customer service.

Kate Smith is the president of Rio Salado College.

“So we did a survey in partnership, the Tempe Chamber and Rio Salado College partnered to do a survey of all of the businesses to understand what their needs were, what those opportunities were, so that we could very intentionally build this program together," she said.

Twenty scholarships will also be available to help businesses enroll their employees. Colin Diaz is the CEO and president of the Tempe Chamber.

"We didn't want this program to be a buying decision that an employer or employees can't participate in because of financial hardship. So those companies that would experience a financial hardship from the tuition cost can apply for one of the scholarships that would be made available," he said.

EDITOR’S NOTE: KJZZ is licensed to the Maricopa County Community College District.

Business Education