Arkansas Office of

Skills Development

News

2023

August 7, 2023 – Arkansas Department of Commerce’s Office of Skills Development Awards $1.2 Million Grant to Launch Steelmaking Bootcamp in Mississippi County.

A $1.2 million grant from the Arkansas Office of Skills Development (OSD) to Arkansas Northeastern College (ANC) is helping to create the Arkansas Steelmaking Bootcamp. The bootcamp, a job skills initiative projected to train 500 individuals in its first year, is designed to meet the demand for skilled workers for the growing steelmaking industry in northeast Arkansas. Mississippi County in northeast Arkansas has become a significant steelmaking hub. Companies like Big River Steel/U.S. Steel, Nucor-Yamato Steel, Nucor Steel Arkansas, Highbar Steel, Tenaris….read more

February 3, 2023OSD Joins Greenway Equipment to Fund Ag Power System Technology Program at the Lonoke Business Academy

With a million dollar investment from Arkansas Office of Skills Development (OSD) and another $1.5 million from Greenway Equipment, Lonoke Business Academy will develop and implement an “Ag Power System Technology” program.  This program will be available to high school students in Carlisle, Hazen, England, Des Arc, and Lonoke school districts to learn to maintain and repair specialized farm, ranch, and agribusiness power equipment and vehicles …. read more

2022

March 15, 2022OVER $8 MILLION IN OSD WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT GRANTS AWARDED

Gov. Asa Hutchinson awarded $8 million in grants to economic and workforce development partnerships to create training opportunities for in-demand skills and certifications. Robotics, cyber security, rural forestry, and truck driver training are just some of the workforce initiatives around the state receiving grant funding from the Department of Commerce Office of Skills Development…. read more

2021

February 1, 2021ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/OFFICE OF SKILLS DEVELOPMENT & TMC LAUNCHES AUGMENTED GAME FOR STUDENTS IN ARKANSAS

OSD and the American Trucking Association’s Technology & Maintenance Council announced the release of a new augmented reality game app aimed at attracting, fostering, and welcoming a new generation of skilled technicians to the trucking industry.  The game is first being made available to students and other interested parties in the State of Arkansas due to OSD’s premier sponsorship of the project…. read more