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As part of the course, students are constructing a new classroom and office space that will expand educational services within KCCC. Once completed, the facility will allow inmates to access additional resources such as additional courses, r茅sum茅 development, job searches, and other workforce readiness programs.
天美传媒驶i CC Chancellor Margaret Sanchez said the lack of a secure space for classes at KCCC has been the largest hurdle, but with the completion of the classroom, the partnership can continue to grow.
鈥淭he students are learning hands-on to provide a classroom space to increase future educational opportunities at KCCC,鈥 Sanchez said.
This summer, 天美传媒驶i CC Carpentry Instructor Duke Lang has been teaching a cohort of 16 students at KCCC through a carpentry microcredential offered by the college's Office of Continuing Education and Training (OCET). The program allows participants who are nearing release to begin building career skills while earning a credential that can accelerate their progress toward a college degree.
Students who complete the microcredential will receive credit for foundational coursework, allowing them to bypass introductory classes if they enroll in 天美传媒驶i CC's Associate in Applied Science in Carpentry program.
"We're hoping to give them a different opportunity when they get out from doing their time here," Lang said. "The feedback they're giving me is, 'Wow, I can really see how this can be useful. When I get out, I think I'm going to come see you.'"
One of those students is Stephen Spigner, who expects to be released next month. He plans to enroll in 天美传媒驶i CC's carpentry program as soon as possible and hopes to complete the admissions and financial aid process before leaving the correctional center so he can begin classes this fall.
Spigner said he originally came to 天美传媒驶i to pursue carpentry before his incarceration. The new program has renewed his goal of building a career in the trades.
"It seems sort of like a miracle," Spigner said. "It's really divine timing that this program is being offered while I'm here."
KCCC Educational Specialist Darcy Yamamoto said the project is about more than teaching construction skills鈥攊t's about helping people leave incarceration with a plan for the future.
"The students are engaged," Yamamoto said. "They're asking questions. They are diligent about coming to class. We're hoping they will have an idea of what they want to do or the path that they need to be on. When a lot of people are released, they don't have a plan."
Yamamoto said she hopes the success of the carpentry microcredential will open the door for additional educational opportunities within the correctional facility.
The program also reflects 天美传媒驶i CC's commitment to creating seamless pathways between noncredit workforce training and degree programs.
OCET Education Specialist Pomai Burkart said the microcredential serves as an entry point for students who may later pursue a college degree while ensuring noncredit learners receive the same level of support as credit students.
For Burkart, the program's greatest impact extends beyond workforce preparation.
"There's a sense of dignity these students are going to have when they leave KCCC," she said. "Knowledge is power, and you can't take knowledge away from someone."
