Story and Photos by Camas Frank
On June 24, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson got a peek inside a program he helped create, one that teaching a handful of the County’s Honor Farm inmates a marketable skill.
The vocational training program, in partnership with Cuesta College and the Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 403, is giving carefully screened, low-risk inmates an opportunity to earn certification in welding and set them on the path towards apprenticeship and careers. Two of the students are nearing the end of their 18-week course, learning how to master different types of welded joints on scraps of metal in the Union’s Broad St. practice shop before moving on to the next skill.
They kicked off the program back in March, and by the time local media was invited to join Parkinson for a tour, a third student had already excelled through the program and found a job with a local contractor.
It may seem counter intuitive for a union to help train new entrants into their field, but officials at the Local 403 aren’t worried about competition. They estimate a nationwide deficit of 250,000 skilled welders for ongoing infrastructure and construction needs.
It’s not that easy to find good candidates either. Even though the idea was to give inmates without other options a chance to earn a living wage and even a pension, only eight of those serving time in the Honor Farm were able to attend a preliminary training course on site. The Sheriff’s office only enrolled those inmates whose interests and aptitude was evident, along with a release date that would fit the program. Of the eight, trainers selected three who showed ability.
The Department also partnered with America’s Job Center of California, whose local representatives were on site for the shop tour, to help find placement opportunities.
Organizers were quick to point out that, aside from the volunteer-provided ride to and from the jail three days a week, and their accommodations; the inmates are having much the same experience as anyone else looking to enter the industry. The job placement programs, and certification on the way to a five-year Journeyman status, are options for anyone willing to follow the steps and commit to learning the trade.
Thomas Rodriguez, 27, was willing to take some time out of his practice to describe the opportunity and his experience.
“I’m grateful to the Sheriff because it is a blessing to have something given to me out of nothing,” he said, noting that if he’d had no other options he could have ended up back in trouble in Grover Beach. “It’s a blessing to further our lives and not be put back on the street with nothing.”
Rodriguez added that his instructors and volunteers in the program had shown him, “nothing but kindness” during the program.
The next screening round for November program applicants is set to take place over the summer.
