Yuma, Arizona - Arizona Western College received an award for having the second highest number of students (inmates) completing a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program in the Arizona Department of Corrections.
The program provides inmates at the Arizona State Prison Complex with the opportunity to complete three college Career and Technical Education Programs. They are Plumbing, Masonry, and Foundations of Construction. The courses range from 10 credits to 16 credits. They are taught by four AWC college instructors: Pat Lamaestra (Masonry), Ray Barcena (Plumbing), Abraham Pino and Arturo Vargas (both Foundations of Construction). They cover three of the five yards on the Yuma Prison Complex.
This is important because it means that those inmates who graduated have learned a skill that they can use to support themselves once released, hopefully helping them to become a productive member of society and not reoffend.