Zane Clark, Machine Tool Technology Student
PARAGOULD, AR May 13—The Arkansas Office of Skills Development (OSD), a division of the Department of Commerce, is awarding Black River Technical College $201, 915 for its Career and Technical Center (CTC).
BRTC was provided the additional funding to expand high-skill, high-wage, and industry driven programs. A portion of the grant, $52,036, will be used to expand the Welding Program, and $149, 879 will be used to expand the Machine Tool Technology Program.
Darenda Kersey, Director of Career, Technical, and Concurrent Education, expressed how pleased she is to receive this grant by stating, “We are very thankful for the program/equipment upgrade grant money that was awarded to us from OSD. The money will be used to upgrade our CNC machine and to purchase a virtual welder so that we can have one at each campus.
BRTC’s Career and Technical Center is a free program which enables high school juniors and seniors to get a head start on a career. As a result of CTC, many local seniors have jobs waiting on them after graduation.
For more information about BRTC’s CTC, visit https://blackrivertech.org/about/departments/career_and_technical_center.