CREST Center Holds Construction Ceremony as Building Progress Continues
JONESBORO – The building of the Career Readiness Education and Skills Training (CREST)
Center has been underway for the past several months near the corner of Aggie Road
and Red Wolf Boulevard on the campus of Arkansas State University.
On Friday, community members, industry partners, and educational leaders gathered
for a construction celebration.
"By connecting education and training to the needs of our region’s employers, we are
creating pathways for students and working adults to gain valuable skills, earn stackable
credentials, and advance their careers,” said Chancellor Calvin White Jr. “We are
also equipping the industries that are driving the region’s economy with a skilled
workforce they need to grow and succeed.”
White said that CREST brings together A-State, ASU-Newport and Arkansas Northeastern
College with a shared goal: building a stronger workforce in Northeast Arkansas.
ASU-Newport Chancellor Ike Wheeler said that by working together, these regional educational
institutions are driving powerful change for the betterment of all.
“CREST represents more than a brick-and-mortar structure; it is the embodiment of
a shared dream brought to life through collaboration, partnership and the desire to
create opportunities for others,” said Wheeler. “It stands as the perfect real example
of when institutions join forces to invest in the economic strength and the workforce
excellence of our region.”
“For nearly 40 years, Arkansas Northeastern College has worked shoulder to shoulder
with the steel industry preparing students for careers that not only change lives,
but strengthen families and communities,” said Dr. Chris Heigle, president, Arkansas
Northeastern College. “We offer one of the highest-performing credentials in Arkansas,
connecting students to life-changing wages in as little as six months. That is the
power of well-coordinated workforce development. Today, we are proud to bring that
opportunity to Jonesboro and to the CREST Center and our partnership with A-State
and ASU-Newport.”
Dr. Ken Warden, commissioner for the Arkansas Division of Higher Education, said that
when educational institutions think together and act together, it is a benefit to
everyone.
“If we do it right, with higher education and training in our state, it is a three-legged
stool. The first leg of that stool is our state institutions and our state government
with their investment, the second would be our industry partners, and the third is
our students,” said Warden. “What is exciting about this is there are opportunities
for students and for people in this region and beyond that would not be here in the
next generation if it were not for this investment.”
Hytrol Conveyor Co. is the founding industry partner.
“We will be working in an advisory capacity to ensure that the programs fit the needs
of employers and those programs are as impressive as this facility,” said Philip Poston,
chief administrative officer at Hytrol.
He said in addition to what CREST will offer, the prominent location of the new facility
will be a great benefit to the region.
"Thousands of families, students and visitors will travel down Red Wolf Boulevard
and see the CREST building and want to learn more about it. My hope is that a high
school student drives by with their parent and wants to learn more about manufacturing
and they want to see it in a different light. They are going to see it as not just
a job, but as a career built around technology, automation, robotics, advanced skills
and real opportunities.”
Phase one of CREST is made possible through a $7.5 million grant from the Arkansas
Department of Commerce Higher Industry Readiness through Educational Development (HIRED)
program. Regional organizations and government partners are providing additional funding,
including Craighead County, Jonesboro Unlimited, Workforce Training Consortium, and
Hytrol Conveyor Co.
“Through facilities like this, it gives young adults a place to start to move themselves
forward, and that is what we are here to do,” said Marvin Day, Craighead County judge.
“Our young adults need the opportunity to have a better job than what a high school
can give them.”
Day said a college education is beyond the reach of many, but the CREST Center will
help bridge that gap, and he is looking forward to seeing what this endeavor will
do for the community.
That sentiment was echoed by many of the leaders in attendance at the CREST ceremony.
Heigle said this is an opportunity to continue the trajectory of the work being done
across communities.
“I am proud of what we built in Mississippi County, and I am even more excited about what we are going to accomplish together in Northeast Arkansas,” added Heigle.
Among the many speakers at the event were Arkansas Congressman Rick Crawford; Dr.
Will McLean, provost and executive vice chancellor; Mark Young, president and CEO
of Jonesboro Unlimited; and William G. Wright, tax credit executive at Southern Bancorp.
Wheeler added that through the unity of the three educational partners, this center
will change the lives of countless people.
“Together, this structure and this program will build more than careers; they are
crafting futures; they are transforming generations; they are altering personal trajectories
and creating an economic impact that will be here long into the future,” continued
Wheeler.