A $2.5 million federal grant will help the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College start remodeling its science building, the college announced Friday.
The remodeling is part of a $10 million STEM Park Project, which also will include a new two-story building and a skybridge to connect the science building with the business and information technology building.
The U.S. Economic Development Administration provided the grant. The college is contributing $653,230 in matching funds toward science building remodel.
The college needs more space to meet the demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses, Chancellor Margaret Ellibee said in the announcement. Arkansas has a dearth of people with skills in those areas, compared to the employer demand for people with those skills.
Currently, the college offers STEM education for allied health-related careers, advanced manufacturing, business and information technology, cybersecurity and other fields, the announcement said.