SouthArk received $835k workforce grant

SouthArk receives Department of Labor grant

The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded South Arkansas Community College with a three-year, $835,499 Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities grant.

Project activities will focus on meeting regional industry needs for workers with hands-on experience to fill open positions. SouthArk will recruit and train participants for welding and advanced manufacturing positions. Participants can enroll in for-credit certificate programs in industrial engineering technology, such as industrial maintenance, electrical and instrumentation, or chemical process technology, or a non-credit welding program, still under development, that provides basic knowledge and skills for entry-level positions as a welder’s helper.

All programs will be held on SouthArk’s East Campus, in the state-of-the-art Charles Hays Advanced Manufacturing Training Center.

Together with industry partners, new work-based learning opportunities will be developed that enable participants to earn a living while continuing to build their skills. The focus of recruitment for this program will be those who are new to the workforce; dislocated workers, perhaps returning to work after a pandemic-forced hiatus or closure; incumbent workers, seeking to improve their career and earning opportunities; and veterans.

For more information, contact career and technical education dean Ray Winiecki at (870) 864-7110.