Training Programs
The Ð԰ɵ¼º½ Center for Business and Professional Development (CBPD) offers open-enrollment courses and customized training programs designed for working professionals across every industry.
The Center for Economic Development at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith helps individuals, employers, nonprofits, and volunteers strengthen their communities, sharpen their skills, and advance their careers through professional training and speaker series, delivered from the Bakery District in downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas, and at locations throughout the region.
The Ð԰ɵ¼º½ Center for Economic Development hosts upcoming events through the Jim Walcott Family Enterprise Center, the Center for Nonprofits, the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, and the Workforce Development Center. Browse the listings below by center.
Looking for professional skills courses? Visit the Center for Business and Professional Development training catalog for a full listing of programs and registration.
| Course Title | Date | Day of the Week | Time | Fee | Register Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lean Six Sigma - Black Belt | November 3 - 18 | Tuesdays/Wednesdays/Thursdays | 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. | $949 | |
| Excel Level I | November 4 & 11 | Wednesdays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $199 | |
| CED Excellence Awards | November 5 | Thursday | 5:30 - 8:00 p.m. | Varies | |
| Center for Nonprofits: Van Buren Lunch & Learn | November 5 | Thursday | 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | $FREE *Lunch Included | |
| Center for Nonprofits: Action Summit | November 11 | Wednesday | 9:00 a.m. - Noon | FREE | |
| Excel Level II | December 1 & 8 | Tuesdays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $199 | |
| 7 Habits of Highly Effective People | December 3 & 10 | Thursdays | 8:00 - 5:00 | $399 | |
| Center for Nonprofits: Holiday Social & Celebration | December 3, 2026 | Thursday | 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. | $FREE | |
| JWFEC - Quarterly Breakfast | December 10 | Thursday | 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. | Varies | Coming Soon... |
| ELEVATE Workplace Leadership | January 4 & 5, 18 & 19, 2027 | Mondays/Tuesdays | 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. | $399 | |
| Industrial Electricity - AM | January 11 - February 12 | Mondays/Tuesdays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| Industrial Electricity - AM | January 11 - February 12 | Thursdays/Fridays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| Industrial Electricity - PM | January 11 - February 12 | Tuesdays/Thursdays | 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| Machine Shop 1 - AM | January 11 - February 12 | Mondays/Tuesdays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| Machine Shop 1 - AM | January 11 - February 12 | Thursdays/Fridays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| Machine Shop 1 - PM | January 11 - February 12 | Tuesdays/Thursdays | 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| Lean Six Sigma - Yellow Belt | January 14, 21, & 28 | Thursdays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $399 | Coming Soon... |
| Excel Level I | January 20 & 27 | Wednesdays | 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. | $199 | Coming Soon... |
| Lean Six Sigma - Green Belt | February 2 - 25 | Tuesdays/Thursdays | 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. | $949 | Coming Soon... |
| Certified Lean Specialist | February 3, 10, & 17 | Wednesdays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $299 | Coming Soon... |
| Center for Nonprofits: Van Buren Lunch & Learn | Febraury 4 | Thursday | 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | FREE | Coming Soon... |
| Excel Level II | February 15 & 22 | Mondays | 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. | $199 | Coming Soon... |
| PLC 1 - AM | February 15 - March 19 | Mondays/Tuesdays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| PLC 1 - AM | February 15 - March 19 | Thursdays/Fridays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| PLC 1 - PM | February 15 - March 19 | Tuesdays/Thursdays | 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| Machine Shop 2 - AM | February 15 - March 19 | Mondays/Tuesdays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| Machine Shop 2 - AM | February 15 - March 19 | Thursdays/Fridays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| Machine Shop 2 - PM | February 15 - March 19 | Tuesdays/Thursdays | 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| 7 Habits of Highly Effective People | March 2 - 11 | Tuesdays/Thursdays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $399 | Coming Soon... |
| Excel Level I | March 3 & 10 | Wednesdays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $199 | Coming Soon... |
| JWFEC March Quarterly Breakfast | March 11 | Thursday | 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. | FREE* | Coming Soon... |
| JWFEC March Quarterly Breakfast IN FAYETTEVILLE | March 12 | Friday | 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. | FREE* | Coming Soon... |
| Problem Solving and Decision Making | March 17 & 31 | Wednesdays | 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. | $199 | Coming Soon... |
| PLC 2 - AM | March 29 - April 30 | Mondays/Tuesdays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| PLC 2 - AM | March 29 - April 30 | Thursdays/Fridays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| PLC 2 - PM | March 29 - April 30 | Tuesdays/Thursdays | 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| Fluid Power 1 - AM | March 29 - April 30 | Mondays/Tuesdays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| Fluid Power 1 - AM | March 29 - April 30 | Thursdays/Fridays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| Fluid Power 1 - PM | March 29 - April 30 | Tuesdays/Thursdays | 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| Excel Level II | April 7 & 14 | Wednesdays | 8:00 a.m - Noon | $199 | Coming Soon... |
| Certified Lean Manager | April 15, 22, & 29 | Thursdays | 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. | $299 | Coming Soon... |
| Excel Level III | April 21 & 28 | Wednesdays | 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. | $199 | Coming Soon... |
| PLC 3 - AM | May 3 - June 4 | Mondays/Tuesdays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| PLC 3 - AM | May 3 - June 4 | Thursdays/Fridays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| PLC 3 - PM | May 3 - June 4 | Tuesdays/Thursdays | 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| Fluid Power 2 - AM | May 3 - June 4 | Mondays/Tuesdays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| Fluid Power 2 - AM | May 3 - June 4 | Thursdays/Fridays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| Fluid Power 2 - PM | May 3 - June 4 | Tuesdays/Thursdays | 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. | $1650 | Coming Soon... |
| Personal Productivity through Journaling | May 5 & 12 | Wednesdays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $199 | Coming Soon... |
| JWFEC May Quarterly Breakfast | May 13 | Thursday | 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. | FREE* | Coming Soon... |
| Excel Level I | May 19 & 26 | Wednesdays | 8:00 a.m. - Noon | $199 | Coming Soon... |
| Anger Management | |||||
| Becoming a Progressive Employer | |||||
| Branding - Creating and Managing Your Corporate Brand | |||||
| Building Your Self Esteem and Assertiveness Skills | |||||
| Business Ethics for the Office | |||||
| Creative Thinking and Innovation | |||||
| Critical Thinking Skills | |||||
| Exploring MS OneNote | |||||
| Financial Intelligence | |||||
| Global Business Strategies | |||||
| Goal Setting | |||||
| How to Manage Your Emotions | |||||
| Identifying and Combating Fake News | |||||
| Influence and Persuasion | |||||
| Leading Others Through Change | |||||
| Making Training Stick | |||||
| Measuring Training Results | |||||
| PowerPoint Basics | |||||
| Productive Work Habits | |||||
| Public Speaking - Presentation Survival School | |||||
| Public Speaking - Speaking Under Pressure | |||||
| Solid Business Writing | |||||
| Supervisor Communication Skills | |||||
| Why We Struggle with Tough Decisions | |||||
| Accounting Skills for New Supervisors | |||||
| Adapting Your Style | |||||
| Advanced Project Management | |||||
| Basic Business Management Book Camp | |||||
| Becoming a Team Player | |||||
| Becoming Managerial Material | |||||
| Beyond Workplace Politics | |||||
| Building Better Teams | |||||
| Challenging Negative Attitudes | |||||
| Civility in the Workplace | |||||
| Coaching and Mentoring | |||||
| Coaching Conversations | |||||
| Collaboration | |||||
| Conversational Leadership | |||||
| Creating a Positive Work Environment | |||||
| Creating Your Executive Presence | |||||
| Crisis Management | |||||
| Defining Team Roles and Responsibilities | |||||
| Diversity in the Workplace | |||||
| Employee Dispute Resolution - Mediation | |||||
| Entrepreneurship 101 | |||||
| Facilitation Skills | |||||
| From Boss to Leader | |||||
| Fundamentals of Strategic Planning | |||||
| Getting Things Done | |||||
| HR Training for Non - HR Managers | |||||
| Ideas Into Action | |||||
| Increasing Your Emotional Intelligence | |||||
| Knowledge Management | |||||
| Leadership 101 | |||||
| Leadership skills for Supervisors | |||||
| Learning to Manage | |||||
| Logistics and Supply Chain Management | |||||
| Making Your Business Better | |||||
| Managing Managers | |||||
| Managing Teams | |||||
| Meeting Management - The Art of Making Meetings Work | |||||
| Motivating Employees to be Their Best | |||||
| Motivation Training: Motivating Your Workforce | |||||
| Onboarding | |||||
| Performance Management | |||||
| Project Management Fundamentals (Basic) | |||||
| Project Management Training - Understanding Project Management | |||||
| Resolving Conflict at Work | |||||
| Self - Leadership | |||||
| Successfully Managing Change | |||||
| Succession Planning | |||||
| Team Building | |||||
| Team Building - Developing High Performance Teams | |||||
| The ABC's of Supervising Others | |||||
| Time Management | |||||
| Women and Leadership | |||||
| Working Smarter - Using Technology to Your Advantage | |||||
| Advanced Writing Skills | |||||
| Balancing Priorities | |||||
| Bullying in the Workplace | |||||
| Coaching for Development | |||||
| Delegating for Growth | |||||
| Effective Negotiation Skill | |||||
| Emotional Intelligence | |||||
| Ten Minute Presentations | |||||
| The Toughest Supervisor Challenges and How to Overcome Them | |||||
| Budgets and Managing Money | |||||
| Business Succession Planning | |||||
| Conflict Resolution - Dealing with Difficult People | |||||
| Creative Problem Solving | |||||
| How to Make Yourself Indispensable | |||||
| Intermediate Project Management | |||||
| Project Planning - All You Need to Know | |||||
| Research Skills | |||||
| Strategic Planning | |||||
| Taking Control of Conflict | |||||
| Building a Brand on Social Media | |||||
| Business Etiquette | |||||
| Communication for Small Business Owners | |||||
| Delegation - The Art of Delegating Effectively | |||||
| Diversity Awareness Training | |||||
| Effective Planning and Scheduling | |||||
| Giving Effective Feedback | |||||
| Honing and Delivering Your Message | |||||
| Planning for Workplace Safety | |||||
| Project Management - All You Need to Know | |||||
| Skillful Collaboration | |||||
| Talk Like a Leader | |||||
| The Multi - Generational Workplace | |||||
| Building a Consulting Business | |||||
| Business Writing that Works | |||||
| Career Planning and Development | |||||
| Communication Mystery Solved | |||||
| Communications Strategies | |||||
| Conducting Effective Performance Reviews | |||||
| Conflict Resolution - Getting Along in the Workplace | |||||
| Conquering Your Fear of Speaking in Public | |||||
| Creating Winning Proposals | |||||
| Cultural Competencies | |||||
| Employee Accountability | |||||
| ESL - A Workplace Communication Primer | |||||
| Excel Boost - Exploring 20 Formulas and Functions | |||||
| Excel Boost: More Tips n Tricks | |||||
| Excel Boost: Tables & Lookups | |||||
| Hiring for Success - Behavioral Interviewing Techniques | |||||
| Lean Process Improvement | |||||
| Managing Difficult Conversations | |||||
| Meeting Management | |||||
| Negotiating for Results | |||||
| Skills for the Administrative Assistant | |||||
| Survival Skills for the New Trainer | |||||
| The Art of Effective Communication | |||||
| The Art of Influencing Others | |||||
| What Customers Really Want | |||||
| Word Boost: Mastering Tables | |||||
| Cannabis and the Workplace | |||||
| Closing the Generation Gap in the Workplace | |||||
| Code of Conduct - Setting the Tone for your Business | |||||
| Creativity in the Workplace | |||||
| Disability Awareness | |||||
| Mental Models | |||||
| Preventing Workplace Harassment | |||||
| Safety in the Workplace | |||||
| Lean Six Sigma - White Belt | |||||
| Lean Six Sigma - Black Belt | |||||
| Continuous Improvement with Lean | |||||
| Developing Positive Relationships at Work | |||||
| Ethics in the Workplace | |||||
| Navigating Difficult Conversations | |||||
| Advanced Motor Controls | |||||
| OSHA 30 | |||||
| OSHA 10 | |||||
| PLC Fundamentals | |||||
| Industrial Motor Controls | |||||
| Mechanical Drives | |||||
| Machine Shop III | |||||
| Welding Fundamentals | |||||
| Fluid Power I | |||||
| Setup Reduction | |||||
| Fluid Power in Plant and Field | |||||
| Introduction to Robotics | |||||
| Robotics 1 | |||||
| CRM - Customer Relationship Management | |||||
| Getting Stuff Done - Personal Development Boot Camp | |||||
| How to Handle Change and Upheaval | |||||
| Mastering the Interview | |||||
| Stress Management |