Gov. Asa Hutchinson has announced the creation of the Arkansas Manufacturing Training Center, which will be located in Conway for easy access from companies through the state. The training center is a joint venture between the Arkansas Office of Skills Development and the Conway Development Corporation.
“Manufacturing is key to the Arkansas economy,” Hutchinson said. “So, when we found out that many of our state’s employers were sending their employees to other states to get the training they needed for Arkansas jobs, we knew that we had to remedy the situation. The Arkansas Manufacturing Workforce Training Center will be able to keep Arkansas employers and Arkansas employees in state to be trained where they can further contribute to our local and state economies. I want to thank the Conway Development Corporation and the Career Education Workforce Development Board for helping get this project off the ground.”
According to Pulse of Conway, the center will be 100,000 square feet and will focus on computer numerically controlled machinery, automation, robotics, industrial maintenance, craft skills, plastic injection molding and other customized technical needs of Arkansas companies. It will be located at Conway’s Central Landing where the city’s airport used to be, and join the city’s $27.3 million community and aquatic center as anchors for the site.
The project is estimated to cost between $35 to $40 million as the Office of Skills Development surveys companies to move forward with the design and architecture phase of the project.
To read more about the announcement, click here.
Photo Credit: Pulse of Conway
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