With a number of automotive manufacturing plants and the possibility of a new Hino Motors Ltd. truck plant in 2007, Arkansas has the potential to become a center of automotive excellence. Although the region is adjacent to a vast transportation network, including the Mississippi River, the world's largest cargo airport, and FedEx's global headquarters, the Delta still lacks the skilled workforce critical for a manufacturing economy. Arkansas' Congressional Delegation has worked with Governor Huckabee and Elaine Chao, Secretary of DOL, to fund the ADTEC consortium and establish a program in the Delta region capable of providing community-based job training.

The four community colleges that make-up ADTEC include Mid-South Community College, Arkansas Northeastern College, East Arkansas Community College, and Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas. The consortium intends to partner with local workforce investment boards and the K-12 public school systems throughout counties in the Delta region to provide workforce development training and educational classes.

"In order to bring jobs to the Delta we must look for opportunities to develop a skilled workforce to make the region a more attractive place for businesses to locate," Senator Blanche Lincoln said.  "Federal investments like this in education and training programs increase the marketability of the Delta ten-fold, and as a result allow the region's economy to grow.  I'm proud to support the Consortium's ongoing efforts to improve life in the Delta."

“This training opportunity opens up a career pathway for thousands of Arkansans to earn a better paycheck and improve the standard of living in the Delta region,” Senator Mark Pryor said.  “Having skilled employees trained and ready to work will serve as a catalyst for growth in our state’s automotive industry.”

"This is a great example of what can happen when individuals from the city council to the Cabinet in the White House work together for the common good," Congressman Marion Berry said. "It creates a force more powerful than a hurricane or an earthquake or military might, and we are going to see the result of that in just a few years because of this grant."

“The potential of Arkansas is great,” Congressman Vic Snyder said. “Federal funding to educate a workforce to support our state's growing automotive industry is a wise investment.”

"In order to lure new manufacturing jobs to the state of Arkansas, we need to have a skilled labor base for employers to draw from.  This grant will help train Arkansans for careers in the automotive manufacturing field which will in turn make our state more attractive to automotive companies looking for locations for new plants.  This kind of economic development is crucial for the future of the Delta," Congressman John Boozman said.