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Ozarka College Receives $25,000 from Stone County for New Welding Center in Mountain View

Published on December 1, 2021


Ozarka College recently received an industry grant award in the amount of $25,000 from Stone County to support Ozarka's Welding Center expansion in downtown Mountain View. In their November meeting, Stone County Quorum Court voted unanimously in favor of supporting the grant award upon recommendation from the Mountain View Industrial Development Corporation.  

"Stone County is thrilled that Ozarka is expanding its technical program in Mountain View with the welding center, a project we are proud to support, " said County Judge Stacey Avey.   "Access to technical training is critical to the local economy, both for industries and also for our young women and men to have opportunities to stay local and make a living. "

This award will fund upgrades to the ventilation system, which will be needed for the new welding operation. Any remaining funds will be applied to procure industry-specific add-ons to Ozarka's existing welders, specifically, a "push-pull gun " application used by local Stone County industries.   The Ozarka College Welding Center in Mountain View will be open for student training in January to start the spring semester.

"This commitment to technical education provided by our friends in Mountain View will have a powerful impact on future generations of Ozarka students, " said Dr. Richard Dawe, president of Ozarka College. "We are grateful for their generosity and proud of Stone County's commitment to our College and the communities we serve. "

The new Welding Center in Mountain View is an expansion to serve the greater Mountain View area. The Center will house advanced welding education for college students in preparation for today's workforce, will assist local industries with continuing education needs for their employees, and will enable area high school students an accelerated pathway into high-demand career fields.

The Stone County grant comes after Ozarka's 2019 designation as a regional Secondary Technical Center by the Career Education and Workforce Development Board.   The designation allows the College to offer secondary technical training to area high school students.   Secondary technical centers are designed to provide career and technical education programs too costly for the local high schools to offer.

The commitment from Stone County is a large contribution toward Ozarka College Foundation's fundraising campaign, an effort to raise capital to advance programs as well as furnish and equip state-of-the-art facilities.   If you are interested in supporting these new technical education opportunities, there are multiple giving opportunities available. For more information, contact Dr. Josh Wilson with the Ozarka College Foundation at (870) 368-2060.

 

                                                                                   










Here to Help

Image of Norris

Katie Norris
Director of Marketing & PR
870.368.2045
katie.norris@ozarka.edu
Image of Wilson

Dr. Josh Wilson
VP of Advancement
870.368.2060
jwilson@ozarka.edu




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