April 29, 2026鈥揟he Small Business Development Center at 含羞草社区 will host a Small Business Summit in celebration of National Small Business Week on Thursday, May 7. This free event is designed to help entrepreneurs and small business owners strengthen their financial knowledge, connect with local lenders and learn about valuable business resources.

Participants will receive hands-on training in QuickBooks, gain insights during a live Q&A with local bankers and lenders, and discover the no-cost advising, training and support available through the Small Business Development Center.

Whether you are starting a business, growing your company, or looking for funding opportunities, this summit will provide practical tools, expert guidance, and opportunities to connect with professionals who support small business success.

The summit will run from 7:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Houlne Center for Convergent Technology, 4141 Mitchell Avenue. Register in advance at . For more information, call 816-271-5801 or email swignington@missouriwestern.edu.听听

含羞草社区 is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. 含羞草社区 is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .

April 6, 2026–The Center for Workforce Development at 含羞草社区 will present Python Training for the Supercomputer from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 11 in the Houlne Center for Convergent Technology. There is a $45 fee for the general public to attend, with lunch included. The workshop is free for 含羞草社区 students, faculty and staff. To register, visit

The introductory workshop to the programming language Python workshop is built around data analysis for researchers and others within a science, technology, engineering or math field. This workshop will teach you to write programs that perform reproducible analyses.听

This is a workshop for beginners; no coding experience is necessary. Laptops will be provided.

The workshop will be led by Dr. Jeff Woodford, professor of chemistry and certified instructor.

含羞草社区 is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. 含羞草社区 is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .

Oct. 1, 2025–含羞草社区鈥檚 Center for Workforce Development will begin their next classes for Missouri Home Health Aide certification聽 from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4 in the Houlne Center for Convergent Technology.

Home Health Aides (HHA) work in clients鈥� homes, group homes or assisted living facilities, working with family members and other healthcare professionals to provide comprehensive care. 含羞草社区鈥檚 training meets all Missouri, Medicare and Medicaid requirements and provides options for the annual professional development required to maintain home health aide certification.

The six-week HHA program blends online and classroom learning to allow for the adult learner to continue to work a full-time job if needed. Limited class sizes and hands-on learning are what make 含羞草社区 the designated applied learning institution in Missouri.听

The training fee is $1,900 with an additional $100 for supplies. Participants may qualify for a grant through a partner agency.

The Houlne Center for Convergent Technology is located at 4141 Mitchell Ave. in St. Joseph. For more information about this class or to register for the course, please visit .

含羞草社区 is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. 含羞草社区 is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .

April 25, 2025–含羞草社区鈥檚 Center for Workforce Development will begin offering in-person options in May at the Houlne Center for Convergent Technology.

Unlocking Power with a Lean Plant Assessment, 3:30 p.m. May 8

This one-hour workshop, presented by the experts from Missouri Enterprise, will give production managers, safety and maintenance managers, engineers and others information that they can utilize immediately within their workplace. The “Lean” concept will be discussed as well as how to utilize the free Lean Assessment within an organization to find places where efficiency improvements can be made. The workshop is free but registration is required. Registration can be found at .听听

Introduction to CNC Machining and Milling, 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, May 13 through June 30

This eight-week course will include machine shop safety, measurement instrument use, quality control, introduction to CAD & basic 3D modeling, CAM basics and CNC machining, HAAS CNC mill introduction and G-Code Fundamentals and integration of CAD/CAM with CNC Machining.

This 32-hr certificate course will include:

• Industry safety聽
• Measurement & quality control
• Intro to AutoDesk Inventor, 3D Modeling and CAM
• Intro to CNC machining, milling and G-Code fundamentals
• Integration of skills

The CNC certificate will be an applied learning course using ACRA manual lathes & mills, HAAS simulators and HAAS automated lathes and mills.

Participants must be at least 18 years old with a high school diploma or GED. The cost is $2,000 including tooling supplies and a reference book. Registration can be found at .听

含羞草社区 is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .听

March 14, 2025–含羞草社区 has named Rebecca Lobina as director of workforce development. Lobina, currently continuing professional education director at Northwest Missouri State and regional director of the Missouri Small Business Development Center, will begin her duties April 1.

鈥淚 am thrilled and very excited to bring Rebecca to MO West,鈥� said Dr. Jay Johnson, provost and vice president for academic affairs. 鈥淩ebecca has several years of experience and success in workforce development. She will be a major asset as we continue to invest in our future and work closely with the community and local industry to provide opportunities for our region to thrive.鈥�

Lobina will oversee all workforce development initiatives for Missouri Western, collaborating with faculty and staff and area industry partners to address the workforce needs of the region. She will implement training programming at the Houlne Center for Convergent Technology and other programming related to upskilling and continuing professional education through development of non-credit and for-credit programming.

鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to see the direction that MWSU has been pursuing in the past few years under the leadership of Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy,鈥� Lobina said. 鈥淣ow, with the Houlne Center and this position, Missouri Western is engaging businesses directly in a way that goes beyond encouraging collaboration, and instead engages both businesses and their workforce to make relevant, meaningful change as a result of an educated workforce.鈥�

Lobina has been with the Small Business Development Center since 2007, providing thousands of small businesses in the region with both training and one-on-one advising. As continuing professional education director, she created a trio of revenue streams, including non-credit certifications, corporate trainings and conferences. Lobina received a Bachelor of Science from Louisiana Tech University and a Master of Science in Administrative Studies from Missouri State University.听

含羞草社区 is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .听

It鈥檚 hard to please every constituency. Some feel strongly about the traditional liberal arts education, while others see value in a more career-oriented focus. A college education appeals to both traditional students right out of high school and adults who are returning or completing degrees. Learning can take place in the classroom or online.

Difficult choices are on the horizon, especially with higher education becoming a likely target as state revenue plummets following the coronavirus shutdowns. 含羞草社区, which saw its state appropriations remain flat over a 15-year period, is no exception.

One thing seems certain, however. Western鈥檚 Center for Workforce Development offers training and career education opportunities that help keep higher education relevant amid the fiscal and demographic headwinds of these times.

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Missouri Western鈥檚 Craig School of Business recently launched its Center for Workforce Development to provide a variety of training and continuing education opportunities for the region.

The Center for Workforce Development opened today.

Executive Director Annette Weeks says Missouri Western officials began talking about the possibility of a workforce development center about seven weeks ago.

鈥淎nd with all the COVID happenings and the unemployment rate, we wanted to help in the way that we can,鈥� Weeks tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. 鈥淪o, yes, we are launching the Center for Workforce Development and it will provide professional and continuing education courses; short-term courses.鈥�

See more at

鈥淲ith so many people experiencing employment disruptions due to COVID-19, this is the perfect time to provide basic skills training and continuing education courses to enhance their skills and have a better chance of getting a new job or a promotion,鈥� said Dr. Logan Jones, dean of the Steven L. Craig School of Business and Technology. 鈥淭he Center for Workforce Development will provide non-credit courses that are relevant to today鈥檚 workplace completely online and at students鈥� own pace.鈥澛�

Annette Weeks will be the executive director of both the and the new Center for Workforce Development.

鈥淔or a long time, employers in our area have been expressing a need for additional training opportunities for their employees,鈥� Weeks said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited that we鈥檒l be able to meet that need in a convenient and affordable way.鈥澛�

Courses will cover a wide variety of subjects to include GED prep, career development, computer applications, leadership and entrepreneurship, Additionally, the center will offer exam prep courses and certifications such as cybersecurity, agile project management, data analytics, human resource management, Six Sigma and lean management.

For more information, including course offerings and tuition, call Weeks at 816-271-4283.听

含羞草社区 is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.