Welding the Next Generation: FiberPro Supports a $6M Grant at National Park College

The skilled welder shortage in American manufacturing is not a projection. It's a present-day constraint that affects lead times, quality, and the ability of shops like FiberPro to scale production to meet demand. The American Welding Society estimates a shortage of nearly 400,000 welders by 2027. In Arkansas, the gap is already visible—not in a spreadsheet, but in the hiring queue.

FiberPro co-founder Josh Krauss decided to stop waiting and to be proactive in supporting the trades through workforce-development programs.

The NPC $6 Million Grant

Josh worked with workforce-development officials and NPC to support a $6 million grant to expand the welding training program at National Park College (NPC) in Hot Springs. The grant funds facility construction, equipment, and program development—the infrastructure required to train welders and help close the shortage of skilled trades.

Hot Springs is the right location. It's where FiberPro operates, where Garland County's industrial workforce lives, and where NPC already has the students. A program placed in the facility, in the community, with direct employer engagement from day one is structurally different from a general-purpose community college welding certificate.

Why Industrial Manufacturers Have to Lead This

Workforce training for skilled trades doesn't happen by default. It requires employers who are willing to define what "qualified" actually means, participate in curriculum development, and commit to being a hiring destination for graduates.

FiberPro builds custom industrial equipment. Our weld quality requirements are specific: structural welds on conveyor frames, precision work on drivetrain housings, certified procedures for high-load applications. A welder who can pass a 3G plate test is a starting point. A welder who understands weld joint design in the context of industrial machinery is an asset.

The NPC program is being developed with that distinction in mind. The curriculum will produce graduates who understand industrial weld applications—not just welding as an isolated skill.

FiberPro's Ongoing Role

The grant funds the expansion. FiberPro's involvement doesn't end there. The company intends to serve as a training partner and hiring pipeline for the program's graduates. That means:

• Participating in curriculum advisory, so the program stays current with actual shop requirements
• Offering co-op and internship placements for students mid-program
• Providing a clear, committed hiring path for graduates who meet FiberPro's qualification standards

This is a long-term investment. The first graduating cohort won't be ready for several years. But the pipeline problem in skilled trades is measured in decades, not quarters. The right time to build a training program is before the shortage becomes a production crisis—which, in much of Arkansas manufacturing, it already is.

For Other Manufacturers in the Region

If you're an industrial manufacturer in central Arkansas and you're facing the same hiring constraints, the NPC program is a community asset that benefits the regional manufacturing base broadly. FiberPro initiated this effort, but the graduates will be available to any employer in the area who wants qualified welders.

To learn more about the program, partnership opportunities, or FiberPro's manufacturing capabilities: info@fiberprollc.com or (501) 463-9876.