Inmates at the House of Corrections in West Boylston hold their plastics technology certificates following a ceremony on Wednesday celebrating their successful completion of the class. In addition to the students, pictured from left to right are: General Council at the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Andrew Abdella, Worcester County Sheriff Lew Evangelidis, MWCC’s Vice President for Planning, Development, and Institutional Research Joe Stiso, class instructor Michael Hurley, and class designer Gretchen Ingvason.
By: Zachary Comeau, Worcester Business Journal, 12/19/17
Six inmates at the West Boylston House of Corrections graduated last week from a plastics manufacturing class run by Mount Wachusett Community College.
The class, run in conjunction with the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, is the same college-level course that runs at MWCC’s campus in Devens, modified for the correctional setting.
In a press release, MWCC said the inmates now have the training to step into manufacturing jobs when they’re released. They’re also being offered a work release program to put their new skills to use.
Sheriff Lew Evangelidis and his office have been working with the college since 2015. Another round of classes is slated for the spring.
In July 2016, Mount Wachusett Community College announced it was one of 67 colleges nationwide selected by the U.S. Department of Education pilot program to provide education and job training for inmates.
