WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. – Black River Technical College (BRTC) and Williams Baptist University (WBU) have formalized a partnership designed to bolster workforce development in northeast Arkansas, signing an agreement on . The collaboration aims to address regional workforce needs by sharing resources, developing joint degree programs, and streamlining educational pathways.
The agreement, signed on the WBU campus, goes beyond a traditional articulation agreement, according to Dr. Stan Norman, president of Williams Baptist University. “This agreement is more than an articulation agreement. We are creating a workforce training partnership to address the problems and challenges confronting Arkansans,” he stated. The initiative seeks to leverage the distinct strengths of each institution, creating a more robust pipeline of skilled workers for the region.
Dr. Martin Eggensperger, president of BRTC, emphasized the broader impact of the partnership. “We at BRTC see this collaboration as about something bigger than ourselves,” he said. “By working together, we can ensure our Heroes, Leaders, and Craftsmen stay in the region, fueled by a network that supports both their immediate job placement and long-term career growth.”
The partnership will encompass several key areas of cooperation, including shared degrees and educational pathways, joint instructional efforts, access to shared facilities, and collaborative workforce support services. A steering committee comprised of representatives from both institutions will be responsible for developing a detailed implementation plan. Initial focus will be placed on the development of a shared agribusiness program, with plans to expand into other fields, including health-related programs.
The collaboration comes as Arkansas actively pursues a statewide workforce strategy, launched in by Governor Sarah Sanders. This strategy prioritizes education and workforce training to equip Arkansans for high-demand, well-compensated careers and to ensure employers have access to a qualified talent pool. The BRTC-WBU partnership directly aligns with the state’s goal of aligning training and career pathways with current workforce demands.
Students from both institutions anticipate benefits from the shared resources and expanded opportunities. Peyton Tackett, a student at Williams Baptist University, highlighted the practical advantages of the collaboration. “They’ve got a lot of stuff, like Dr. Norman said, that we don’t have here and we have a lot of stuff that they don’t have there, so combining those two things prepares us a lot of better to go into the real world and have more experience going in to jobs like this, especially in the farming agricultural business,” Tackett explained.
Kaylee Cheek, another WBU student, pointed to potential opportunities in health-related fields. “I am underneath the science department and they’re talking about getting a certificate for… Doing E. Coli testing and doing that stuff. That will do very well going into the health department,” she said. This suggests the partnership will extend beyond traditional agricultural programs to address needs in critical sectors like healthcare.
Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva attended the signing ceremony, signaling the state’s support for the initiative and expressing hope that it would serve as a model for other universities nationwide. This endorsement underscores the potential for similar collaborations to address workforce challenges in other regions.
While no official launch date has been set, WBU President Norman indicated a target implementation date of . The coming months will be crucial as the steering committee develops the logistical framework for the shared programs and resource allocation. The success of this partnership will likely be measured by its ability to demonstrably improve job placement rates and career advancement opportunities for graduates of both institutions, and its contribution to the broader economic development of northeast Arkansas.
The agreement represents a strategic response to the evolving demands of the modern workforce, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between higher education institutions and state government to ensure a skilled and competitive labor pool. The focus on aligning educational programs with industry needs is a key component of the Arkansas Workforce Strategy and a potential blueprint for other states seeking to address similar challenges.
