Career Pathways

Advanced Manufacturing

U.S. Department of Labor funding of $5,935,402 in November 2005 created ADTEC college capacity, including curriculum development and the acquisition of faculty and equipment, to create a career pathway in advanced manufacturing and to provide training and education to existing and emerging manufacturing industries in the Arkansas Delta region. As a result, four regional skills centers exist, which support manufacturing training specialization.

  • Steel Manufacturing Technology, Arkansas Northeastern College, Blytheville
  • Plastics Manufacturing Technology, East Arkansas Community College, Forrest City
  • CNC Machining, ASU Mid-South, West Memphis
  • Welding Technology, Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas, Helena

An additional $250,000 in funding was provided by the Delta Regional Authority in February 2006 to fund training equipment for the automotive manufacturing industry in the Arkansas Delta and $20,000 by the Arkansas Department of Workforce Education in October 2005 to fund curriculum development for the high school component of the career pathway.

Through $2,500,000 in U.S. Department of Labor TAACCCT funding in October 2012, industry certifications will be aligned with career pathway credential points in manufacturing and other designated technical programs.

Allied Health

This $2,000,000 initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Labor created ADTEC college capacity, including curriculum development and the acquisition of faculty and equipment, to create various allied health career pathways and to provide training and education to support the health care industry in eastern Arkansas. Each ADTEC college developed a unique allied health program as part of a regional workforce development strategy to provide a variety of needed programs to meet industry employment needs.

  • Patient Care Technician, Arkansas Northeastern College, Blytheville
  • Surgical Technology, Arkansas State University-Newport
  • Occupational Therapy Assistant, East Arkansas Community College, Forrest City
  • Medical Assistant, ASU Mid-South, West Memphis
  • Medical Lab Technology, Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas, Helena

Aviation Technology

ASU Mid-South and Arkansas Northeastern College are ADTEC partners in this initiative, supported by $3,391,053 in funding by the U.S. Department of Labor, which promotes workforce development and economic development by supporting the workforce training needs of the aviation industry in Arkansas and western Tennessee. The project creates a career pathway in aviation maintenance technology, which includes an FAA-certified Airframe and Powerplant technician training program, and creates capacity to deliver training, including curriculum development and the acquisition of faculty and equipment.

An additional $1,500,000 from the Economic Development Administration bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce helped to fund construction of an airport training facility for the program. The Delta Regional Authority provided $250,000 to establish the Mid-South Institute for Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Training which will support job training and/or employment-related training for the aviation, manufacturing, steel, renewable energy, and oil/gas industries in eastern Arkansas, western Tennessee, northwest Mississippi, southeast Missouri, and southern Illinois.