LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders joined workforce development officials Thursday to announce a significant new Arkansas initiative, providing $48 million in workforce training grants to 19 organizations across the state.
Arkansas Department of Commerce Secretary Hugh McDonald highlighted that the grants, awarded through the Higher Industry Readiness through Educational Development (HIRED) program, will fund job training programs across diverse sectors, including aerospace, steel, and lithium industries, which are vital to Arkansas’s economy. The HIRED program was created under the Workforce Initiative Act of 2015 and, in total, has $88 million available for grants administered by both the Arkansas Department of Commerce and the Arkansas Division of Higher Education.
“This collaboration between the public and private sectors is key to building a skilled workforce for Arkansas’s fastest-growing industries,” Sanders said. She noted that the grants would help Arkansas business leaders who are seeking qualified employees to grow their companies.
Specific grant awards include $5 million to Southern Arkansas University in Camden for aerospace industry training, supporting the region’s aerospace and defense sector. Arkansas State University received $7.5 million to advance steel manufacturing programs in Mississippi County, the nation’s largest steel-producing county. Additionally, South Arkansas College and the Venture Center in Little Rock received grants of $325,000 and $500,000, respectively, to support lithium industry workforce training.
Arkansas Workforce Development Officer Mike Rogers indicated that these grants are only the beginning, as demand from schools exceeded available funds. “There will be more,” Rogers affirmed, suggesting additional future funding opportunities.
