Madison Co. Jail inmates build new future, earn manufacturing certificate

Madison County Jail inmate Larry Horton, a recent graduate of a pilot program aimed to teach manufacturing skills, explained that the training course has not only allowed him to refresh his math skills but feel more well-equipped to re-enter the workforce.

Like Horton, 15 Madison County Jail inmates seeking a prosperous societal re-entry upon finishing their sentence, completed a 10-day manufacturing training boot camp on June 15, the jail's first-of-its-kind graduation.

Made possible by the University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services, the program seeks to provide inmates with the skills needed to enter the manufacturing field by means of hands-on activities, discussion and applied technical trainings.

"It's basically like going to college and school all over again," Horton said.

"Once I get out, I'm going to take off running at full speed. There's no sense in trying to start at ground one because this program taught me how to start at ground one. Now that I have it up here, once I get out, I'm going to apply it to my daily life routine. It taught you how to humble yourself because a lot of things you don't want to do, you have to do in order to be productive."

Horton, who described the class as "outstanding," looks forward to applying the skills he learned upon release in approximately one month's time. A former computer software technician, Horton hopes that the skills he learned in the program will eventually lead him into a supervisor role in that same field.

"Now I've got a lot more experience and a lot more knowledge of how to do my job, so it will make it more effective once I get out," he said.

Reflecting on his most favored component of the course, Horton expressed an appreciation for the instructors' patience with teaching concepts and taking the time to re-explain what the inmates weren't conceptualizing the first time around.

"They took their time and they really, actually cared and showed us how to do it instead of just explaining it and going on to the next subject. They didn't go on to the next subject until we fully got an understanding on how to do what they were talking about," Horton explained.

The accelerated course focuses on a different daily lesson, beginning with how to be a valued employee on Day 1 and culminating with how to effectively communicate and critically think on Day 10. Every session in between teaches a fundamental component of manufacturing including the basics of lean manufacturing, understanding commonly used manufacturing tools, and how to interpret engineering prints.

UT Center Institute for Public Service – Center for Industrial Services Resource Program Manager Keith Groves detailed how UT's relationship with Purdue University allowed the manufacturing program to come to fruition, all thanks to funding from the state's re-entry program through the Northwest Tennessee Workforce Board (NTWB).

"Being the Institution of Public Service, we're always looking for outreach areas," Groves said. "When they [NTWB] were starting the program, they were looking for a resource that can do that."

Geared specifically towards non-violent offenders who are soon to be released or paroled, a high school diploma or educational equivalency is not required to participate in the program. Those who complete the training will receive the following certifications and opportunities:

• MSSC Certified Production Technician Quality Practices & Measurement Certificate

• UT Center for Industrial Services Certificate of Training Completion

• OSHA 10 Hour General Indsutry Card

• Interview with a local manufacturing facility

Sheriff praises program

Madison County Sheriff Julian Wiser, who was also in attendance at the ceremony, shared the benefit of inmates who completed the program.

"It is no cost to the county, so it teaches them a lot of valuable information and resources and the best practices for applying for jobs and those type of things for when they get out, so we're excited about it," Wiser said.

Madison County comes as the fourth county jail to hold a certification ceremony with this program in addition to Hardin, Obion, and Dyer counties.

The future of the program depends on funding availability, which is scheduled to reset on July 1, according to Groves. Nonetheless, he believes that with the help of Governor Bill Lee's push to expand re-entry opportunities in the criminal justice system, UT's manufacturing skills program will only continue to grow.

In 2019, Gov. Lee announced a concerted effort to address public safety with a focus on expanding higher education programs for incarcerated individuals with the end goal of combatting recidivism. In June of 2021, Lee created the Tennessee Office of Reentry, an entity specifically tasked with establishing successful pathways of reentry for those soon to be released from jail and prison.

As a final thought, Horton shared how excited he is to be able to apply what he learned in the boot camp course.

"It refers me back to my computer software technician program where I programmed robots and updated software so it really taught me a shorter way of how to come up with certain things versus when I was taking a long way of trying to [solve] mathematical problems," Horton said. "The program was actually outstanding and very exciting."

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Manufacturing certificate provides Madison Co. inmates with opportunity