SPRINGDALE, Ark. — Now that Issue 1 has passed in Arkansas, new scholarship funds are on the way to students at vocational technical (vo-tech) schools.
The passing of the amendment will allow proceeds from lottery ticket sales to fund scholarships for vo-tech students -- funds that previously only went to students at two and four-year colleges and universities.
Leaders at local schools like Northwest Technical Institute (NWTI) in Springdale are excited about the doors this will open for their students.
Mark Moreland, Public Relations and Marketing Director at NWTI, said Issue 1’s passing will allow more prospective students to be eligible and afford to get the training they want at schools like NWTI.
Currently, NWTI has about 1,000 students (2,000 including Adult Education programs).
The school offers training and education in nine different diploma programs and several certification programs. Depending on the certification or diploma, programs last anywhere from a few weeks to 18 months.
Moreland said that in addition to providing more opportunities for students, in the long run, the scholarship funding for vo-tech students will fill the workforce gap in several important fields.
“These funds will help not just us, but other entities, fill the workforce gap with actually trained, skilled, ready to go, workers that can go out there and actually improve themselves and improve their life situation, [and] in doing that, they'll improve our economy and our region,” Moreland said.
As the issue just passed, plans are still in the works, and it's not clear yet when exactly the scholarship funds will be available.
Knowing this will be an option soon, Moreland encourages prospective students to take this opportunity to look at what vocational schools near them offer.
“Take a look at us. Take a look at other vo-techs because now you will have another avenue to actually get 100% of your education paid for, and this avenue hasn't been available before,” Moreland said. “...It’ll benefit you in the long run, and it'll benefit our workforce by having skilled workers out there, and we won't have so many gaps in service and skill level and qualified people doing a lot of necessary work.”
More information about NWTI’s programs can be found on the school’s website.