Career Center to host open house Sept. 8

 

To celebrate the newest addition to the Arkansas Tech University family, an open house will be held at the Arkansas Tech Career Center from 1:30-3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8.

Located at 2201 S. Knoxville Ave. in Russellville, the Career Center merged with Arkansas Tech-Ozark Campus on July 1. It is one of the largest secondary career and technical centers in Arkansas, offering programs in 10 career and technical fields to more than 500 students from 11 area high schools in Pope, Yell and Johnson counties.

Because of the partnership between ATCC and Arkansas Tech-Ozark, participating high school students can receive concurrent college credit for classes taken.

Arkansas Tech-Ozark Chancellor Jo Alice Blondin said, “The goals of this merger were to increase the technical education attainment of students in our region and to add to the program offerings at ATCC to ensure responsiveness to area industry needs.

“ATCC will offer Ozark Campus courses in the evening, so that the facility is not just a place for high school students to learn, but a resource for the entire community.”

Speakers for the open house, which is open to the public, include Blondin, Bruce Sikes, chief academic officer for Arkansas Tech-Ozark, and ATCC Director Pat Edmunds. Both instructors and students will be on hand to explain the programs.

Edmunds said, “The Career Center has always strived to offer excellent programs of study with literacy and numeracy integrated into those programs. With our merger with Arkansas Tech-Ozark, we can now offer those classes to our students as college level courses.”

High schools that partner with ATCC include Russellville, Dover, Pottsville, Hector, Atkins, Dardanelle, Danville, Two Rivers, Western Yell County, Lamar and Clarksville.

Programs include automotive technology, computer engineering, construction technology, cosmetology, criminal justice, drafting technology, horticulture, culinary arts, medical professions and metal fabrication.

“We are delighted to be welcomed to the Ozark Campus family,” Edmunds said, “and together we will be able to benefit our students, community, state and economic growth.”

]]>