Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) has partnered with the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre to offer a welding program for inmates.
The course is a formal welding certification program which allows individuals to achieve their certification from the training provided while in custody.
Inmates attend classes Monday through Friday, where they learn the fundamentals of welding and safety. After completing the course, they are evaluated by a welding inspector coordinated by KPU and those who pass are granted a welding certification.
"We'll take tools and supplies from what would be the six-month course at KPU and teach the guys the basics of how welding works to prepare them to take their CWB (Canadian Welding Bureau) test," says Cole Enders, correctional officer and assistant welding instructor at Fraser Regional Correctional Centre in Maple Ridge.
The goal of the program is to get inmates ready for a successful release.
"This gives guys a chance. When they leave here, they can actually get a job where they can make enough money to re-start their life or get back on their feet. If you don't have any skills from previously coming in, you're almost forced to go back into a lifestyle that's going to put you back in here," says Enders.
According to Enders, demand for the program is high. The welding shop can accommodate 10 to 12 participants at a time, with additional interested inmates placed on a waitlist.
"This is something I can actually do productively while I'm here to get my foot in the door to pursue a career," says inmate Anthony Samuelson. "I've done a lot of time. I'm only 31 and I've probably spent at least eight of it inside and I've never been able to do the courses that they offer here anywhere else."
Other prisoners, such as William Alexander, see the program as a way to continue a life they left behind.
"I own a shop on the outside and I need to have a welding ticket to help me with my business when I get out. It also makes people feel better about themselves. When you work hard all day and you go back you feel good about yourself because you accomplished something," says Alexander.
KPU has partnered with the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre for nearly 15 years to offer trades programs inside prison walls.
"It's a great opportunity for the inmates to be upskilled so when they're released from prison into the community, they have a reduced chance of recidivism. It's huge plus for us as KPU to be supporting that," says Laura McDonald, Dean of KPU's Faculty of Trades and Technology.
The university donates equipment and textbooks to ensure the inmates are getting the education they need to be successful.
McDonald emphasizes the growing need for skilled trades workers and how this program can help address that gap.
"This program is feeding an industry that's in demand right now, there's a lot of need for skilled trades workers and especially welders as we can see with all the development happening in the Lower Mainland," says McDonald.
KPU's Faculty of Trades and Technology gives students specialized, hands-on training and foundational knowledge to build a successful career in the skilled trades. Industry-based programs, based at KPU Tech in Cloverdale, prepare students for positions such as appliance repair technician, automotive service technician, carpenter, electrician, farrier, mason, mechatronics technologist, millwright, parts and warehousing person, plumber or welder.
