State awards $4 million to NWA vocational school

• Exact details are TBD, but it will help pay for equipment and contracted subject matter experts to help teach courses, spokesperson Mark Moreland told Axios.

Why it matters: NWA needs to fill job openings in the fields that NWTI offers certifications in, Moreland said.

Zoom out: Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, along with the Department of Commerce, announced $48 million in grants to support workforce development across 19 institutions. NWTI was the only one in NWA.

• The largest grant, $7.5 million, went to Arkansas State University programs in Jonesboro, Newport and Blytheville.

The intrigue: NWTI expects to get an influx of prospective students after voters recently approved an issue allowing the lottery scholarship to be applied to vocational schools instead of only academic colleges. This will open up opportunities for high school graduates who otherwise couldn't afford to attend, Moreland said.

Costs vary. Tuition and fees are $3,500 for the commercial driver's license program and $500 for basic welding, for example.