Over the course of the last year, Certified PowerTrain has been working in conjunction with the State of Wisconsin Department of Corrections and the Gateway Technical College in Racine, WI to provide transitional opportunities for women who are nearing release from the Robert E. Ellsworth Correctional Center in Union Grove, WI.
About the Work Release Program
The program began in 1965 and has placed thousands of people in jobs since its inception. The purpose of the work release program is to successfully reintegrate incarcerated women into society by helping them develop job skills, work ethic and self-sufficiency skills. Women who are interested in working are screened and must be approved to participate. If approved, they will be available to be interviewed and ultimately hired by any of the participating organizations who have been previously vetted by the State of Wisconsin. If hired, the women become regular full time employees with benefits, they also pay taxes on their wages and room and board to the correctional facility, to cover part of the cost of their incarceration, while also paying off any fines, restitution or child support owed. It also provides them the opportunity to save money, so that they have a head start when they are released.
About the Gateway Technical College Program
Gateway Technical College offers multiple campuses in Southeast Wisconsin, including an impressive technical campus in Sturtevant, WI called the SC Johnson Integrated Manufacturing and Engineering Technology (IMET) Center where the nationally-known “Fab Lab” exists. The college provides the opportunity for women currently in a WI correctional facility, to further their education through select programs at the college. One of those programs is the CNC Operator certification, which requires a full year of instruction to complete. Women who are interested in any of the college’s available programs, are first vetted by the DOC and undergo various screenings and tests before they can be approved to attend classes.
CPT’s Partnership and Commitment to the Community
CPT was initially approached by Gateway Technical College to help place their upcoming graduates with future jobs, some of whom were women participating in the Work Release Program. After making contact with the WI Department of Corrections and going through the vetting process, CPT quickly became an approved employer and was cleared to interview and hire program participants. Over the course of the last year, we have interviewed several graduates and are happy to report that we are currently employing one woman from the program, Cindy Rogalski, as a full time CNC Operator! We sat down with Cindy and got her input and opinion on how the Work Release Program is working for her.
When asked about the Work Release Program, Cindy explained that her interest in participating in the program was, “a combination of all of it…but mainly I want to build up my work ethic, I want to build up my resume, I want to get a feel for what it’s like to be in the community…and kind of just transition back into the real world. And yes, finances are a big part of it, you want to work to be able to support your family. Cindy also had this to say about CPT, “I’m hoping to stay with this company upon my release…I like that it is a smaller company…I feel like I’m valued…they need machinists, they value me and the skills I bring to the table…it’s a good company.”
We have found that the benefits of this program far outweigh any associated negative connotations with employing incarcerated individuals. The women who are approved for work release and who have also graduated from the Gateway Technical College are competent, capable, and respectful individuals who are working towards repaying their debts to the community. Some of the benefits for participating employers include:
- The participants are screened for the program.
- The participants must follow strict guidelines to remain active in the program
- Transportation and punctuality are guaranteed for participants in the program
- Coming from the Center, all participants are drug and alcohol free
However, we have found the greatest benefit to being a participating company is that we are helping these women gain self-esteem through a healthy work experience and that we are helping our community to be a more inclusive and accepting place to live and work. All of us at CPT are proud to be a part of this amazing program!
For more information
David Metrie
Certified PowerTrain
262-741-5639