Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Center Receives Funds

A check for $450,000 was presented to the Southwest Arkansas Technical Learning Center Thursday, Sept. 7.

The money is to be used to construct a building to house the learning center, which trains potential employees in the jobs offered by local industries.

Brown Hardman, president of the Clark County Industrial Council, said the CCIC hit the ground running 14 years ago when it bought the industrial park, and hit it running again when it built two spec buildings, passed a one-cent sales tax for infrastructure improvement, sewer, and began work on the new satellite business park.

The SWAR Technical Learning Center, he said, is another example of this continuing.

Steven Franks, the director of workforce preparation with the state, said he was impressed with progress Arkadelphia has made.

"You don't need communities filled with leaders," he said, "but leaders full of community, and this is what has made Arkadelphia progress."

Franks said the attitude in Little Rock is to let agency directors facilitate what communities do and provide what resources they can.

There is a career partnership cabinet at Little Rock, meeting twice a month to discuss issues. The goal, he said, is to improve the economy by improving the citizenry, and making itself available to communities across the state.

Andy Westmoreland, with Ouachita Baptist University, said it was fitting the check passing was held in the 2025 Commission room, because the concept for the learning center began here three years ago.

Bob Houston, with Henderson State University, called the money a jewel in the community's crown. He said this is the result of a collaborative effort.

I've never seen anywhere work together like this," he said. "I'm excited about the project's potential."

State Rep. Percy Malone, who made the presentation, said this is the result of a lot of different people working together; all having different ideas, but getting to the point and making it a reality.

When the CCIC recruited Rohr Industries, now B.F. Goodrich, they talked about how the workforce would be trained to meet the company's needs.

"We do have the total spirit of communication and all worked together on this project, letting industry drive the curriculum," he said.

The companies, he said, let the CCIC know what was needed, but the right executive director was the key initially.

Going into the "new economy" he said, industry wants well educated, well trained workers.

"Now we're investing in people," Malone said, "We will have workers who are trained and educated better, so they can earn more money. This is where the money today will be going."

This, he continued, is being done to insure productivity with people working smarter than in the past. It will also insure Clark County's being able to continue growing.

"We hope the new building will only be used for a few years," Malone said. "We'd like to have a small campus to help serve several counties in Southwest Arkansas. This is the first step, upgrading the skill of workers to be more marketable."

This, he added, should also help existing industries expand and help recruit new industries to the area.

Rick Izor, with Scroll Technologies, said the existing industries appreciate what's being done. "It's a great step for Clark County and the surrounding area. It took a lot of work and effort, but paid off."

The training effort, Izor said, has already begun, with several programs having been taught and the response to the classes excellent on the quality of learning.

"These types of progressive initiatives allow communities to grow and prosper," he said.