Sandy Martin reported at the Mayor’s Task Force meeting last week that the Berryville Armory will be site of the Connect 4 workforce development center, and Tyson Foods has committed $1.3 million to get it started. The idea is to provide a track of training for high school juniors and seniors to learn useful skills such as HVAC, plumbing, advanced maintenance, and basics in a variety of trades. She said as the project develops, Tyson would try to lure other sponsors so the center can offer adult education or retraining classes.
Connect 4 is a cooperative effort among Green Forest, Berryville and Eureka Springs High Schools where students will spend part of the day at the armory and part in regular academic classes. Martin said money has been identified to pay for transportation from the high schools to the site.
The project is scheduled to begin in September 2018.