FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Weaver, Melony Ritter
(501) 760.6410 office
press@np.edu
February 9 , 2016
INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM HOSTS OPEN HOUSE
Hot Springs, Arkansas – The National Park College (NPC) Industrial Technology Program will host an open house February 16 at 2 p.m. in the new Industrial Technology lab located in the Ish Stivers building at National Park College. The Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce Ambassador’s Club will be in attendance for a ribbon cutting at 3 p.m.
NPC is located in a growing manufacturing hub, producing a diversity of products from rubber bands and bottle caps to industrial cables and lumber equipment. The College strives to meet the needs of local business and industry through workforce development and academic programs that prepare a workforce with the skills to be competitive in today’s workplace. Using a federal Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College Career Training (TAACCCT) grant, the College created the Industrial Technology program which is specifically tailored to help close the skills gaps of local manufacturing employers. NPC collaborated with Berry Plastics, industry champion and grant partner, to create a scheduling and sequencing to accommodate employees’ work schedules and provide targeted services to ensure success.
Program Director, William Polk said, “We are passionate about building the workforce that Garland County needs. We have taken the time to survey employers and we believe this program is a perfect fit for our region.”
The Industrial Technology program provides the basis for a career in many fields including
Fluid Power Mechanic, Controls and Automation, Technician, Multi-Craft Technician,
Millwright, Sensors and Instrumentation Technician, Industrial Maintenance Mechanic
and Mechatronics Technician, among others. It prepares students with the skills necessary
for a variety of jobs in modern manufacturing facilities. The program provides entry
level knowledge and skills to set up, operate, maintain and repair the machines and
control systems that power industry.
The 28 credit hour program of study results in a Technical Certificate in Industrial Technology and can be completed in as little as six months. All credit hours apply toward the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree in General Technology. Core technical subjects include blueprint reading, mechanical systems, fluid power, electricity, motor controls and programmable logic controllers.
