Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Industrial Maintenance degree offered

An associate's degree in Industrial Maintenance will soon be available through the Southwest Arkansas Technological Learning Center.

The announcement came Tuesday, June 4, at the center's offices in Arkadelphia.

State Sen. Percy Malone said this is significant news for this part of the state.

He said the learning center has been an important project for years, as it will respond to the needs of people whether by creating new jobs with new industry, or expansion from existing industry.

The center, he said, will fulfill a commitment the Clark County Industrial Council (CCIC) made to industry several years ago, when it promised to have a well-trained workforce available.

Linda Beene, the center's director, Malone said, has helped to get the degree in Manufacturing Technology at the center by working with Ouachita Technical College (OTC).

Malone stressed the center doesn't offer "cookbook" programs, but gears its curriculum to the needs of industry.

Dr. Barry Ballard, OTC president, said this the fulfillment of a dream, the center and OTC working together, and is consistent with OTC's role and mission  serving industrial needs, while serving the needs of the area.

Ballard and Beene worked with committees and the Human Resource Centers of area industry to see what was needed, then worked to create the new program.

The course is modeled after one offered at Westark Community College in Fort Smith, which developed a baccalaureate degree for it's manufacturing degree. However, Ballard said, the Westark concept is being "reversed" in Southwest Arkansas and made into a one- to two-year program to meet local needs.

"This is the realization of our dreams and visions," he said. "We've (OTC) worked with an organization (the center) that has a can-do attitude to help meet the needs of business and industry."

OTC, he said, has a history of working with Clark County. In 1999, the school began offering an associate's degree for Scroll Technology. The degree and courses were customized to meet Scroll's particular needs.

Malone said the idea is not to duplicate what's already being done or in place. This wasn't the idea when the center was being developed.

"We wanted to be able to spin on a dime," he said, "and meet industry needs in training. It's the same for new prospects.

"This is not a threat to existing instructions, but takes advantage of what's being offered."

The new degree program, Malone said, puts industry and education at the same table.

Beene said the center and OTC worked with industry representatives and literally started with a blank sheet for the program, designing it to meet what industries in the area said they wanted.

The program, she said, is still being "tweaked" and will be continually modified to meet specific needs.

Malone and Ballard, she said, committed the resources to this project when the entire state was looking at cuts in funding. "This may be the only place in Arkansas where there is a new program."

Robin Pelton, with the customized training incentives team of the Arkansas Department of Economic Development (ADED), will be working with the center and OTC, Beene said.

In many cases, she added, the ADED, through its workforce training program, will reimburse industry for the cost of the classes on a class-by-class basis.

Along with the program being available to those working in area factories, Ballard said, it's also open to the general public, though slots will be reserved for industrial employees.

Ballard said OTC charges $56 per credit hour, which doesn't include books. Students taking six hours will be eligible for financial aide, depending on their income status.

The class sizes will be between 18-20 students, depending on the course.

Some companies, he said, may help pick up these costs.

Several of the classes will be "short courses", lasting only a few days at a time, to meet industry needs, while others will be full semesters in length.

The Industrial Maintenance degree, Beene said, is a 61-hour program.

Because it has been designed for industry, she said, the days and times for classes have not been determined. Some classes, though, will be held at the center, currently located on 6th Street.

"All of the courses are geared toward our mission of training the workforce," Beene said.