In June, BRTC was awarded $122,000 out of the Job Driven National Emergency Grant from the United States Department of Labor and the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services. This grant helps dislocated workers achieve access to training in specific career fields. Dislocated workers who are long-term unemployed and who have been profiled as likely to exhaust unemployment insurance benefits will receive priority.
BRTC will use the funds to help underemployed or unemployed individuals pay for the Structural Steel and Pipe Welding class on the Paragould campus. Students can receive up to $5,000 to pay for the $7,900 tuition.
This program has been exceptionally popular, partly because of its high demand skills. After completing the 16-week program, students are usually offered jobs very quickly making upwards of $60,000. Some students have been recruited before they complete the program and begin making over $80,000 a year.