Students from the first class of East Arkansas Community College’s Workforce Orientation and Retraining Keys (WORK) program recently completed their certification.  Funded as part of the Arkansas Sector Partnership initiative, through a grant from the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services in support of work-based training programs, the program is designed to help area residents with jobs.  

During the program, students received instruction and training through various instructors from businesses and industries around the region.  Topics covered through the training included workplace ethics, resume building, interview preparation and goal setting, financial and job benefits, Safety Concepts, Quality Concepts, Career Ready and Computer Concepts.  Classes met two times per week from January 12th through March 3rd. 

The program provided participants with the necessary skills and support network to access economic opportunity.  Designed to prepare individuals for gainful employment and, simultaneously, advance economic development by expanding the local workforce to meet growing needs, the WORK program completers earned incentives to help remove barriers to employment and obtained a certificate of completion, an American Heart Association CPR card, a Career Readiness Certificate (CRC), Industrial Safety Training, as well as job interview opportunities.

Registration is now open for the second session of EACC’s WORK program.  The upcoming session will begin with an Orientation on March 29th and classes will start on April 5th.  The application deadline is Friday, March 25th.  The WORK program will be available at no cost to participating trainees.  Anyone interested in participating in the program should contact Kevin Bingham, EACC’s WORK Coordinator, by calling 870-633-4480, ext. 254.

Photo from left: Carl Stewart, Jerome McDaniel, instructor Larry Freeman, Pearl Greer, Lawren Davis, WORK Coordinator Kevin Bingham, Charles Day, instructor Kenya Joyner, Patricia Davis, and Kameron Tabron