Industrial training center readies students for practical employment

Guests attended an open house Friday at the Lockesburg Industrial Maintenance Institute. Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, left, visits with UA Cossatot Chancellor Dr. Steve Cole, third from left, and Arkansas Economic Development Commission Director Mike Preston, right.
Guests attended an open house Friday at the Lockesburg Industrial Maintenance Institute. Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, left, visits with UA Cossatot Chancellor Dr. Steve Cole, third from left, and Arkansas Economic Development Commission Director Mike Preston, right.

Arkansas Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin said attending the open house Friday on the campus of the Lockesburg Industrial Maintenance Institute was "fabulous" because it was a "celebration of something right."

"We're not just talking about jobs, we're talking about careers. This is an event I'm attending where we're talking about what we're doing right," Griffin said.

The Lockesburg Industrial Maintenance Institute at 128 E. Main, Lockesburg, hosted an open house, offering tours and the opportunity to visit the site of an area-wide collaborative educational effort among University of Arkansas Cossatot, area school districts, local industries and the Arkansas Career and Technical Education Division. The collaboration contributes to Southwest Arkansas economic development, offering high school and college students a program that leads to superior skills in multi-craft industrial maintenance and the opportunity for immediate employment with area industries.

"When I was in Congress, we told folks you need a four-year degree. But we failed over the years as a country to meet people where their passions were; to meet people where their needs are; and to meet people with their job choice. You can pursue excellence all up and down the spectrum," Griffin said.

"No track is better than the other. They're just different. We've recognized that," he said.

"We're also doing the right thing by creating jobs and keeping jobs. This is success."

Speakers for the event were Griffin; UA Cossatot Chancellor Dr. Steve Cole; UA System President Dr. Donald Bobbitt; Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission Mike Preston; Deputy Director of Arkansas Office of Skills Cody Waits; Technical Education Liaison for Tyson Rodney Ellis; Tyson Nashville Complex manager Mike Hanson; Tyson Grannis/Broken Bow complex Manager Mike Hanson; Tyson Grannis/Broken Bow Complex Manager Ronnie Eddy; and Dr. Donald Bobbitt, University of Arkansas president.

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