Springdale-based nonprofit Business and Industry Training will receive $332,350 from the city of Springdale to provide 50 scholarships over three years.
According to the resolution, on December 12, the Springdale City Council approved providing federal funding to BIT “for the purpose of increasing Springdale participation in its workforce development and job placement program.”
According to a document from Disaster Recovery Services’ Robert Hogan, the scholarship program is likely qualified for federal aid funds. The scholarship program is funded by federal funds awarded to the city as a result of the American Rescue Plan Act, which was passed in March 2021. The act established the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, and the city received $21.35 million as part of the $350 billion aid package to help alleviate the consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic. The memo indicates that the money must be spent by December 31, 2026.
According to Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, the United States manufacturing industry lost approximately 1.4 million jobs at the start of the epidemic. It has yet to fully recover from the pandemic’s consequences, which is due in part to a skilled labor shortage. To alleviate the deficit, BIT intends to provide 50 scholarships over three years to five staff groups:
- High school students interested in manufacturing
- Manufacturing workers affected by the pandemic
- People who are transitioning from being incarcerated
- Unemployed people wanting to learn new skills
- Those with mobility restrictions and special needs.
Ten scholarships will be awarded to each of the previous categories. The scholarships are projected to vary between $2,000 and $11,650 per person.
BIT recently reached an agreement with the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas to allow single parents to apply for BIT training course scholarships. Since 1996, BIT, which also has a Gentry site, has been providing short-term skills training courses.
