OUR PROGRAMS
Improving quality of life for Texas Panhandle Residents
By coordinating and collaborating with nonprofits to help deliver efficient and effective services throughout the Texas Panhandle, AAF’s programs assist in improving the quality of life for our area’s residents today and in the future.
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Panhandle Community Partnership
The Panhandle Community Partnership is a community impact initiative with partners representing education, business, economic development, workforce development, government, and non-profit organizations all committed to creating accessible pathways to postsecondary credentials that lead to family sustaining wage employment for residents in the Texas Panhandle. Throughout 2022, The Panhandle Community Partnership joined with partner organizations like Region 16 ESC, Workforce Solutions Panhandle, and Los Barrios de Amarillo to provide opportunities for area students to explore career opportunities and for area educators to expand their knowledge and bring relevant career related learning into their classrooms. Over 1,200 8th graders from 15 Panhandle School Districts learned about 14+ career pathways ranging from auto mechanics to health sciences at the Region 16 and EPIC Success Career fairs, and 16 area educators participated in Summer Externships through a partnership with Region 16 and Workforce Solutions Panhandle. Through events including Reconnect Amarillo, EDTalks, and Work Forward, The Partnership provided opportunities for area leaders to learn from local experts and experts from organizations like the Texas Demographic Center, Dallas Federal Reserve Bank, and Philanthropy Advocates about business, education, and demographic trends and challenges in the Panhandle and collaborate to develop solutions to some of our areas most pressing workforce challenges. The Partnership looks forward to launching a new website in 2023 which will serve as a resource hub for area students and residents as they plan their pathway to a career. Featuring “career maps” which illustrate career progressions focused on targeted occupations in the Panhandle area, our hope is for this website to connect students with possibilities and retain our talent in the Panhandle.
