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| New Instructional Mobile Welding Lab for Wyoming Inmates Will Launch July 12 |
| By Wyoming Department Of Corrections |
| Published: 07/07/2010 |
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The Wyoming Department of Corrections will celebrate the completion of the new instructional mobile welding lab that will be used for training inmates on Monday, July 12 in Cheyenne. The ribbon cutting will be at the Wyoming Department of Corrections office, 1934 Wyott Drive in Cheyenne at 1:00 p.m. and the open house will run to 2:00 p.m. The public is invited to attend and refreshments will be provided. Betty Abbott, WDOC Education Programs Manager, said that the 2008 Wyoming legislature approved a total of $194,000 one-time appropriation to fund the welding lab, training and certification for inmates. By using WDOC staff and inmates to complete much of the construction of the lab they were able to stay within budget. "We are really pleased that we can provide this instruction to inmates because these trained inmates will be able to apply for welding jobs when they complete their sentences, earning a livable wage that could be as high as $36 per hour," Ms. Abbott said. "It is by providing inmates opportunities to obtain training and earn certifications that they will more likely remain crime-free when they leave our system and become productive citizens," she said. Welding jobs are available in Wyoming and most are open to those with a felony conviction, she added. The WDOC is working with Eastern Wyoming College and Central Wyoming College to insure that inmates earn college credit for course work and that they can earn a welding certification that is recognized by employers. Plans at this time include using the lab at several institutions, including the Wyoming Women's Center, Wyoming State Penitentiary and Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution, on a rotating basis. "Our goal is public safety and if ex-offenders have a livable wage job, they can support themselves, their families, pay their bills and taxes and contribute to society," Abbott said. For more information contact Betty Abbott at 777-6104 or babbot@wdoc.state.wy.us. |
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