Black River Technical finishes renovations to welding lab on its Pocahontas campus

Black River Technical College (BRTC) has completed a set of renovations in its welding lab on the Pocahontas campus.

The renovation was made possible with Delta Regional Authority’s (DRA) $499,000 SEDAP grant and took about a year to complete. With the funds, BRTC was able to purchase new equipment, updates the welding stalls, and carry out needed building maintenance like painting and new garage-style shop doors.

With the renovations, BRTC is able to keep their welding classes up-to-date with industry standards and better prepare students entering the workforce.

BRTC’s welding program is a combination metal-working program that provides skills in practical application of welding techniques as well as the operation and maintenance of related tools in the industry. The program includes instruction on arc welding, semi-automated (MIG) welding, and Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding.

The welding program typically has 100 or more students enrolled.

Earlier this summer, DRA awarded $300,000 separately to BRTC through the Delta Workforce Grant Program DWP for a robot welding lab.

This program is an initiative designed to build long-term community capacity and to increase economic competitiveness by investing in projects that support workforce training and education programs.

BRTC was one of three institutions in Arkansas that received the grant, and one of 25 institutions in the DRA’s service area to receive the grant. BRTC will use the grant to renovate an existing space and buy equipment for a collaborative robot welding lab. The lab will not only provide workforce training for community industries but will also provide specific training for BRTC’s neighbor, Tate Industries.

The BRTC and Tate partnership will include Tate’s robotic welding experts assist in the upskilling of BRTC’s welding faculty.