People who seek better lives and communities seeking a better trained workforce can realize their goals at the Tyson Foods Logan County Career Center (TFLCCC).
Thanks to a public-private partnership, Arkansas Tech University in Russellville opened the $1.3 million facility that offers a variety of courses, degrees and certifications for high school students and adults in a number of skilled, technical fields.
Located on the Paris High School campus, the TFLCCC opened in January 2018 and is the first of its kind in Arkansas. Serving as an ATU Career Center satellite, it allows Arkansas Tech-Ozark to provide courses in automation technology, allied health and adult education.
The Paris campus also serves the Scranton and Magazine communities and the TFLCCC allows students from all three districts access to credit-bearing credential, certificate and degree attainments offered through ATU-Ozark.
High school students earn concurrent college credit at no charge while adult students can take both general education diploma (GED) coursework and industry training classes.
There were close to 60 students enrolled in the first year, and there are plans to expand to additional school districts.
“ATU is committed to workforce education,” Robin E. Bowen, ATU president, said in the release. “It is a vision championed by our governor, Asa Hutchinson. We appreciate Gov. Hutchinson’s leadership on this important topic, and Arkansas Tech University will continue to be a ready and able partner in providing relevant academic programming to serve our communities.”
The center has successfully placed students in nursing programs, industrial technology programs, health care facilities (as certified nursing assistants) and local industries. Students who use the program can obtain an associate degree in one year instead of two.
The Tyson Foundation provided a $266,600 grant for construction and the Arkansas Department of Higher Education added a $644,034 regional workforce grant that allowed ATU-Ozark to purchase equipment.
Funding and in-kind contributions also came from general improvement fund grants, local businesses and individual contributors, local health care entities and community outreach services.
The educational partnership working with Tyson, Western Arkansas Planning and Development, the Arkansas Department of Commerce, the Economic Development Administration and the governor’s office made the TFLCCC a reality.
“I’m excited about the future of Arkansas, where we are and where we’re going,” Hutchinson said at the grand opening.
“This career center is a big part of it because of the partnership that is being created and the investment of the community in this important endeavor to give our children the best chance in the future.”
The need to provide a better life for thousands in Logan County prompted the Paris School District, ATU and the city of Paris to pursue its educational partnership. The partners understood the need to provide the education that would turn out skilled, highly qualified people who are prepared to enter the workforce.
The construction of the TFLCCC also serves as an example to others that such facilities are attainable. The partnerships are available for all districts.
“All those partnerships exist right here,” Hutchinson said. “All those criteria are met right here. For those reasons and for those partnerships, this place is a model for Arkansas.”
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