Hot Springs Metro Partnership and Chamber of Commerce partners with Lake Hamilton School District and Dawson Cooperative to host Draft Day 2023 

(Hot Springs, AR) April 17, 2023 – The Hot Springs Metro Partnership (HSMP) and Greater Chamber of Commerce is teaming up with Lake Hamilton School District and Dawson Education Cooperative to host Draft Day 2023. 

The two-day event is an in-person hiring and career fair for regional high school juniors and seniors and will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 25-26 at Lake Hamilton High Wolf Arena. 

The goal of the HSMP is to create economic opportunity throughout the Hot Springs region and Garland County MSA. Currently, workforce is the primary challenge companies face throughout the area, so the HSMP is working to meet those needs. One way the Partnership is assisting with these challenges is by building a ready workforce from the ground up.  

Draft Day 2023 Hot Springs is a way to connect area high school seniors and juniors who are workforce bound to explore local career opportunities that await them after graduation. 

“We feel like we will be able to offer the best of both worlds to our local companies at this event—by helping them to hire and to promote their business—as well as help our young people find meaningful careers right here at home in Hot Springs and Garland County,” said Gary Troutman, HSMP President & CEO. 

“One of our goals is to make sure that each of our area graduating seniors has a solid transition plan for their future,” said Amanda Porter, Career and Technical Education Facilitator for Lake Hamilton School District. “We know that we have quite a few students that will go straight into the workforce or have to work while attending college or trade school. We would love to see our students commit to local business and industry.” 

In addition to helping provide a quality career path for local students, Draft Day also helps local companies connect to a ready and willing workforce. With 17 schools from Malvern to the Oklahoma border committed and over 55 companies participating, nearly 2,000 high school juniors and seniors will attend the event, making it the largest hiring event of its kind in the State of Arkansas, Troutman said. 

“We have heard our local companies loud and clear that workforce is one of, if not  THE, primary challenge they face today,” Troutman said. “These will be two impactful days and at the end of them we intend to have helped our partners solve at least part of their workforce puzzle.” 

Draft Day 2023 is purposely scheduled as late in the school year as possible so that local companies may actually hire the 12th-graders who’ll be graduating just a couple of weeks later, Troutman said. 

For further information about the HSMP, contact Mara Kuhn at 501.321.1700 or mara.kuhn@growinghotsprings.com