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

  • Florida SouthWestern State College, Skanska Partner for Humanities Hall Renovation

    Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW) in Fort Myers, Fla., recently announced that it is partnering with construction firm Skanska to renovate the school’s Humanities Hall, according to a news release.

  • Texas State University Completes Stadium Renovations

    Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, recently announced that it has completed a series of additions and renovations to its football stadium, according to a news release. Formerly known as the Bobcat Stadium End Zone Complex, the Johnny and Nathali Weisman Football Performance Center is an 85,000-square-foot expansion featuring hospitality spaces, banquet spaces, exterior concourses, and upgrades to the field house.

  • University of Utah Launches Utah 360 App

    The University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, recently announced that it has partnered with digital engagement hub Pathify to launch a new app for the university community, according to a news release.

  • UCNJ Launches $30M Modernization of Physical Education Center

    The Union College of Union County (UCNJ) in Cranford, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $30-million modernization project for its Physical Education Center (PECK), according to a news release. The college partnered with DIGroup Architecture for the project’s design, transitioning the existing 42,000-square-foot structure into a campus hub for student athletics and campus life.

Digital Edition