The students at CareerTech Granite Skills Center Welding Trade program was assigned a special project by their Welding Instructor Mr. Kays. The assignment was to design, fabricate and weld enclosed caged accessory tables for gaming consoles to be secured inside. These will be placed at the Oklahoma State Reformatory minimum security unit located at Granite, OK for offenders to use in the recreation area.
In this project, Welding Instructor Kays anticipates, explains, and demonstrates any problems that could arise for each experience and instructs proper safety to the students. Kays then guides the students in the design and fabrication process. Students continue to gain experience in skills they have learned such as: measuring, plasma cutting, oxyacetylene torch cutting, chop-saw cutting, grinding, and MIG welding. Students used angle iron, expanded metal, steel plates, and square tubing to fabricate the accessory table. They finished the project by utilizing a paint spray gun.
Offenders who are eligible to attend a CareerTech Skills Center Trade program earn several certifications including Career Readiness thru CareerTech prior to release from incarceration. When a student successfully completes training, which usually coincides with their discharge date they are assigned a CareerTech Employment/Transition Coordinator. The coordinators provide assistance finding support services including the following: housing, clothing, food, employment, transportation, identification, medical and legal resources.
The continuity of services from the institution to the community is essential to student success. More than 90 percent of graduates completing Skills Centers programs gained employment. CareerTech Instructors continue to secure Oklahoma's future by developing a world class workforce by preparing all Oklahoman's who need our assistance. From those who need academic support, those who may have limitations or disabilities, and those who are incarceration to help find their purpose and giving them a second chance at life. We prepare all Oklahoma CareerTech students to succeed in the workplace in education and in life for themselves, their families, and our communities.
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