By Megan Jackson
Marietta Daily Journal, Ga.
MARIETTA, Ga. — The Cobb County Sheriff’s office celebrated Friday the first graduating class of a new industrial maintenance program meant to give inmates job opportunities.
The program, hosted by Chattahoochee Technical College facilitated by the Technical College System of Georgia through a grant from BlackRock Inc., is a custom six-week program helping inmates receive an industrial maintenance technician certification.
According to the sheriff’s office, the program represents a continued commitment to providing workforce-ready skills and meaningful opportunities for individuals during their time in custody.
During the graduation at the Cobb County Adult Detention Facility, graduates received a diploma and turned their tassels to celebrate their achievement.
According to Chattahoochee Tech’s Associate Dean of Economic Development Cynthia Brown, the program offers mostly online courses alongside hands-on learning experience for inmates ages 16-24.
“It’s exciting when you see them on the first day of class, as that light bulb goes off and they start to really see it as an opportunity that the correctional facility is trying to help them. We’re trying to help them and you see a shift (in them),” she said.
She said the program began with 15 students, four of whom were released before graduation.
Chattahoochee Tech’s President, Heather Pence, said she believes the program will change lives.
“When we say our mission is that we transform lives, this is a group that you’re going to see that their lives have been transformed. And education is a very big part of transforming their lives. We know that they’re going to be successful, that they’re going to do a great job,” she said.
D. McMullen, a graduate of the program, said he believes the program will better him after he is released.
“I’m most thankful, probably, for the tool that it gave me that I can use in society. I feel like not that I have something really to look forward to and to apply to something bigger than just me,” he said.
The sheriff’s office did not share the full names of graduates to protect their privacy.
S. Barrow, another graduate, said he was given the tools he needs to succeed.
“Starting off it was pretty hard at first, and they gave us the tools and everything that we needed to get through it. They came in and they was patient with us. They didn’t treat us unfairly, they did everything right,” he said.
He said he felt a sense of accomplishment after passing the test.
“There was a study guide. We was staying up, late nights, going over it, quizzing each other right before the moment came up for us to take the test. But Ms. Brown told us that we could get it done and that’s what we did,” he said.
The program was funded through a grant from BlackRock, giving $1,500 for each program participant, according to Brown.
Upon release, the graduates will receive a pair of work boots and a toolkit, filled with everything from wrenches to voltage meters to begin their careers and the program aims to have the graduates beginning their new jobs immediately upon release.
A second class for industrial maintenance certifications is scheduled to begin in two weeks.
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