Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton: Workforce Training Center

  • 10/01/18
University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton

PHOTOS © KEN WEST

Workforce training to support existing businesses and industry, as well as attracting new investment in the State of Arkansas, was the driving force behind the new Workforce Training Center recently opened at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton. The college had been providing modern, up-to-date technical training in 50-year-old buildings, but had a long-term vision to create new facilities to provide workforce training utilizing the same types of equipment and processes being utilized in businesses and industry across the country. The result would be to produce graduates who are highly trained and sought-after, ready for immediate employment.

Aligning the college’s mission with the workforce needs of the state and region required that the college be nimble and flexible in order to react to a rapidly changing world. This meant the new facility needed to meet the technology needs of not only today, but also the future. The new 53,000-square-foot facility houses programs for automotive service; heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration; welding; and industrial mechanics and maintenance technology labs. A large multipurpose room provides space for specialized workforce training, demonstrations, and small conferences. The new facility has the capacity to more than double the current program enrollment.

Designed by MAHG Architecture, the new structure is located on a 17-acre site on the west side of campus and is visible from busy Interstate 40. The glass front on the building presents a transparent face towards the highway and campus, inviting students and visitors to see what is going on inside. “Open structure and exposed MEP systems throughout the facility allow the Training Center to be used as a teaching tool, by both students and faculty; and reinforces the sustainable concepts integrated into the project’s design,” says MAHG architect Michael Lejong.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management October 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • TCU Marks Campus Expansion Milestone

    Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a topping-out ceremony to mark progress on a major campus expansion effort including four new residential facilities and a five-story parking garage, according to a news release.

  • Hawaii Elementary School Reopens Following $25M Campus Modernization

    Haʻaheo Elementary School in Hilo, Hawaii, has reopened to students following a three-year, $25-million campus modernization and expansion project that significantly increases the school's instructional space while preserving one of the island's oldest educational institutions, according to local news.

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Announces Acquisition of JJCA

    Wold Architects & Engineers, based in Minneapolis, Minn., recently announced that it has acquired JJCA, an architecture firm based in Nashville, Tenn., according to a press release. JJCA specializes in healthcare and education design; the partnership allows both firms to expand their presence across the country while building on existing strengths.

  • Rowan University, HPE Partner on New Learning Initiative

    Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J., recently announced that it has expanded its partnership with enterprise technology provider HPE to improve research capabilities and hands-on learning opportunities, according to a news release.