I did the CNC course and when I saw welding, I decided to try that as well. At the end of this is a better job and better pay. Anything is possible.
Devion Garrett doesn’t plan on being behind bars for the rest of his life.
When he does get released from the service of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, he will be ready to begin a new life with his girlfriend, his two young daughters and a wealth of knowledge thanks to Milwaukee Area Technical College.
Through the college’s correctional education program, Garrett has learned how to operate a computer numerical control (CNC) machine, how to prepare a resume, and on Monday, December 15, he earned a Welding Fundamentals certificate.
“My girls are my motivation,” said Garrett, who has about two more years to serve. “I did the CNC course and when I saw welding, I decided to try that as well. At the end of this is a better job and better pay. Anything is possible.”
Garrett was one of six men serving time in the state correctional system who received certificates in Welding Fundamentals at a completion ceremony held at MATC’s Downtown Milwaukee Campus.
In the correctional education welding program, MATC faculty go to Milwaukee’s correctional facilities and provide instruction.
The men took classes six days a week for 16 weeks to earn the 17 credits required to receive the certificate. Classes ran from 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, said Dr. Clavon Byrd, the college’s dean of the General Education Academic and Career Pathway.
“Most of these men had no prior experience with welding and no experience with college,” Dr. Byrd said. “They felt doubt, fear and anxiety. But they showed grit and successfully conquered their goals.”
The class attained a cumulative 3.5 GPA, Dr. Byrd said.
Once released, the men could return to MATC to further their education or use the certificate to secure welding jobs that start at more than $20 an hour. Or they could continue their education through MATC’s Welding technical diploma or Welding Technology associate degree programs.
Garrett said by receiving his certificate, he is only four classes away from earning a technical diploma in welding. “At some point I will be back at MATC,” he said.
Numerous objects created by participants during their classes were displayed at the ceremony. The works included flowers, log cabins and the Green Bay Packers football team insignia on a large chain.
In 2016, MATC was the first Wisconsin college to participate in the Second Chance Pell program, which provided financial aid for college courses to people serving in correctional institutions.
A 2018 RAND Corporation study showed that inmates who participated in educational programs while in prison had a 48% lower chance of ending up back in prison within three years of release than those who didn’t.
Learn about MATC’s Correctional Education program
About MATC: Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
