The city of Crossett has received an honorable mention in the Arkansas Business Trendsetter City 2025 awards in the Education/Workforce Development category for its workforce development initiatives with the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) through the UAM Sustainable Trades Alliance (UAM-STA).

Arkansas Business cited UAM-STA as a key driver of industry-focused training that supports the manufacturing and forestry sectors, which are vital to the economy of southeast Arkansas. The award highlights Crossett’s investment in workforce development through innovative programming housed at the UAM College of Technology–Crossett (UAM-CTC). 

Launched in December 2024 with $2 million in funding from the Arkansas Division of Higher Education (ADHE) through its Higher Industry Readiness through Educational Development (HIRED) grant funding, UAM-STA is a collaborative initiative involving multiple UAM entities and nearly 45 industry partners, each contributing to the forestry supply chain. The Arkansas Center for Forest Business, housed in the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources (CFANR) at UAM, collaborates closely with alliance partners to develop training for forest product mill and logging workforce needs as part of the project. 

The UAM-STA office is housed at UAM-CTC. Programs of study supported by the alliance deliver training in forestry automation and industrial maintenance and are available at UAM, UAM-CTC and the UAM College of Technology-McGehee (UAM-CTM).