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CALPIA Programs Provide Carpentry, Ironworking and Labor Training and Certification For Soon-To-Be Paroled Offenders
FOLSOM – Today, offenders at Folsom State Prison received diplomas and/or certificates during graduation ceremonies.
The 19 Career Technical Education (CTE) graduates completed the necessary steps to receive CALPIA certification in Carpentry, Ironworking, and Labor.
“These graduates are learning valuable skills that will give them a foundation for success as they transition back to their communities,” said California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations (CDCR) Secretary Jeff Beard.
With a recidivism rate of less than 15 percent, CALPIA’s CTE programs are among the CDCR’s most successful vocational training programs. Program graduates have a cumulative recidivism rate of under 7.6 percent.
To increase the chance of employment, all CALPIA offender employees are required to obtain a high school diploma, or complete a GED, within two-years of beginning the program.
“By choosing to participate in CALPIA’s carpentry training the CTE graduates have built new programming space, learned construction skills, and significantly reduced their chances of returning to prison,” said Chuck Pattillo, General Manager of CALPIA. Rather than costing taxpayers an average of $42,000 per year for housing, the vast majority of CALPIA graduates will become law-abiding and taxpaying citizens.”
CALPIA’s CTE program trains offenders in various construction skills that include welding and ironwork, general labor, and finished carpentry. CALPIA provides paroled graduates with a set of tools, a tool belt, and pays for a year of union dues so graduates are ready to begin working upon parole.
CALPIA is a self-financed state entity that provides training and productive work assignments for approximately 7,000 offenders in 24 CDCR institutions in California. CALPIA receives all of its revenue from the sale of the products it manufactures. CALPIA funds the CTE program from proceeds derived from CALPIA enterprises. The recidivism rate among CALPIA CTE participants is 83 percent lower than the general prison population, a success attributed to the job skills and industry certifications obtained by participating in the program.
