A federal agency is contributing $2 million to help complete development of North Arkansas College’s Center for Robotics & Manufacturing Innovation, a workforce training initiative that will support industry in the region.
The initiative, near completion of its fund-raising phase, picked up significant support with the commitment from the Economic Development Administration, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. EDA’s investment will be matched with $5.4 million in state and local funds.
“This is the missing piece we’ve been waiting for,” Rick Massengale, college president, said Tuesday of the EDA grant.
Plans call for breaking ground this summer on the 32,500-square-foot facility and have training operations up and running in the next two years. The training center, estimated to cost $8 million, will house the school’s manufacturing, machining, robotics, electronics and…
