College receives $250,000 for center

Unit’s focus to be manufacturing

EL DORADO -- The Systems Group has donated $250,000 to the South Arkansas Community College Foundation to help fund construction of the Charles A. Hays Advanced Manufacturing Training Center.

The center will be on the South Arkansas Community College East Campus, according to a news release from the college.

The facility will be used for both credit and noncredit instruction and training of students in a number of manufacturing programs. It has been steered by the needs of the area's industries, according to college administrators, and industry leaders advised in the planning.

The center will house process technology and industrial technology programs, have a 3,600-square-foot covered bay for the college's new tanker and rail car training program, and include a covered area outside for hand-tool and welding training. It will hold three furnished classrooms, four offices, storage space and a 60-by-60-foot, re-configurable bay to house the hands-on training unit -- which was funded by El Dorado -- as well as other training equipment.

Hays, who founded The Systems Group more than 40 years ago, died in January. His company performs industrial construction, industrial plant maintenance and steel fabrication. It also sells patented cooling components for electric arc furnaces used in steel mills in 17 countries.

State Desk on 08/18/2015

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