Ozarka College is pleased to announce it has been officially designated as a regional Secondary Technical Center by the Career Education and Workforce Development Board.   On December 10, senior Ozarka officials presented to the Board of Directors for approval to receive state funding for secondary technical training to area high school students.   Effective 2020, high school students in the region will have access to technical education offerings in multiple high demand fields; including Automotive Service, Diesel, and Welding technology programs.  

"This presents an important opportunity for Ozarka College to further serve our region's High School students as they prepare for the workforce in their respective high-demand fields. " said Dr. Richard Dawe, Ozarka President.  

Secondary technical centers are designed to provide career and technical education programs that may be too costly for high schools to offer. These centers are typically sponsored by high schools, postsecondary technical institutes, postsecondary institutions, or an education service cooperative.    

"This is great news for our community, the region, and students in our local schools, " said Larry Fowler, Mayor of Ash Flat.   "We are excited to have a technical center and proud of the steps Ozarka and area schools are taking together to move our communities forward. "  

Ozarka's designation comes after two year's work in partner with officials from both the Arkansas Office of Skills Development and much coordination and cooperation in conjunction with the Northcentral Arkansas Education Service Cooperative and multiple partners in our area school districts.   A division within the Department of Commerce, formerly under the Arkansas Department of Career Education, the Office of Skills Development is responsible for aligning career and technical education programs with the skills needed by business and industry.