On June 11, a team from Black River Technical College (BRTC) attended the Arkansas State University Mountain Home Summer Conference 2025: Better Together – Connecting Colleges. The professional development opportunity brought colleagues from across Arkansas to share ideas and strategies that enhance student and institutional success.
The team attended multiple sessions and a few members also led a featured panel at the conference called “Innovative Workforce Development – Bridging Education and Employment.” The panel, composed of BRTC’s Shana Sartain, Kim Bigger, Jason Smith, Sissy Gray, Priscilla Stillwell, and Shane Copeland, highlighted BRTC’s work under a Title III grant which integrates durable skills development in collaboration with business and industry partners. It also showcased BRTC’s Bridge Career Center, an innovative resource offering career coaching, job placement services, and strategic employer partnerships.
The presentation also introduced BRTC’s workforce training transcription initiative, a groundbreaking model that formally documents workforce education on student transcripts. This ensures students receive official recognition for workforce training, enhancing their employability and positioning BRTC as a statewide leader in workforce education.
For more information about BRTC visit https://blackrivertech.edu/.
