Author: Pulaski County Adult Ed

10 Students just finished a rigorous 12 week Pre-Apprenticeship program at Diamond State Vocational School. PCSSD Adult Ed. and Diamond State paired together with The Innovation Hub to offer students a 72 hour course that included 20 hours of soft skill training and basic adult education. Students received certifications in OSHA 10, EPA 608, WAGE Workforce Prep, and Skills to Launch. The classes were taught by a certified Arkansas classroom teacher and the only Master Certified HVACR instructor in the state. We are so proud of everyone who participated. Diamond State is now taking applications for the next Cohort which is scheduled to begin in late July or early August. Trades that are being offered are: Roofing, HVACR, Electrician, and Plumbing. Contact Don Smith, Director of Recruitment at 501-483-8575 if you are interested in learning a new trade.

Carlos Guzman (front row, second from the right) received the Malco Head of the Class Award from Instructor Jeremy Morehead (front row, far right) for excellence in vocational trade preparation. Guzman received a certificate and a backpack filled with Malco tools for his hard work. Classmates in photo are: (Front Row from Left) Paul McCowan – PCSSD Adult Ed Instructor, Jesus Garfias, Tori Swain, Carlos Guzman, Jeremy Morehead. (Back Row from Left) Corey Zapata, Diamond Young, JaDarren Daivs, Ephraim Amos, Josue Garza and James Thrower.

Students and Faculty are pictured here after graduation ceremony at the Innovation Hub on June 10, 2021. (From Left) Josue Garza, Paul McCowan – PCSSD Adult Ed Instructor, Corey Zapata, Ephraim Amos, Carlos Guzman, Jarrod DuPriest – Vice-President/Diamond State Vocational School, Diamond Young, Jeremy Morehead – Master Certified HVACR Instructor, Tori Swain, and Don Smith – Director of Recruitment/Diamond State Vocational School. Other students not in photo include: JaDarren Davis, Jesus Garfias, Melvin Henry and James Thrower.

The Arkansas Department of Education has launched a new Statewide Community Resources Portal to connect families with information about support services around the state! It contains over 50 categories of resources from financial to healthcare, daycare, transportation, and housing…and is updated daily with new resources, too!

Learn about requirements for pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship
opportunities, training details and more through Diamond State Vocational School, the WIOA Youth Program, and more at this virtual meeting at 11 AM – 12 PM on Saturday, January 9, 2021.

For questions, contact Don Smith, Director of Diamond State Vocational School at (501) 483-8575 or Yolanda Carman at (501) 733-4973.