TEN INMATE RESIDENTS GRADUATE FROM THE WELDING PROGRAM

The Newton County Sheriff’s Office, with its continual partnership with Action, Inc., graduated ten inmate residents from the Workforce Development Welding Training Program on March 31, 2023.

The ten inmate residents who graduated from the Welding Training Program on March 31st were: Jharkiyre Allison, Tommy Gilbert, Timothy Hilton, Dustin James, George Patterson, Charles Polk, Joey Stroud, Dylan Williams, Justin Fuller, and Willie Robinson. Four of the graduated inmate residents have already been offered jobs upon release from the detention facility through the NCSO’s Workforce Development Office. The starting pay rate for the field of welding begins at $18-22/hour, and there are no caps on the pay welders can receive for their work.

During his welcoming speech to the graduates and their families, Sheriff Ezell Brown stated, “I am grateful for the continued partnership the Office of the Sheriff has with Action, Inc., and the positive opportunities provided to the inmate residents housed in our facility. The programs we offer to the inmate residents housed in the Newton County Detention Center provide the skills and training needed to return to society as law-abiding citizens.”

Sheriff Brown added, “I congratulate every one of our graduates for completing the Welding Training Program. Also, I thank all those who provided support and encourage-ment to these graduates during the last few weeks. They couldn’t have done it without your support and encouragement.”

During the graduation ceremony, Cookie Lester, a former student, took to the podium to provide her testimony to the newest graduates of the program. Lester graduated from the program in 2022 and now works for Clarion

Metals in Covington, Ga.

Lester stated, “Almost a year ago, I was standing in your shoes. I didn’t know my life was about to change. Some of the women I welded with didn’t believe I could do it, but here I stand. I’m a welder. They weren’t going to define who I was going to be; my past wasn’t going to define who I was going to be. The welding program changed my life.”

Lester added, “When you walk out these doors, it’s up to you if you are going to come back. Some of the women I graduated with are back in jail, but I’m not coming back. I’m not a lost cause. This program gave me my life back.”

Following the end of the program’s course, the inmate residents had the opportunity to participate in the American Welding Society’s Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS) Sheet Metal tests. The WPS Sheet Metal tests are administered by an AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) and graded on the following: a visual inspection of the welding coupon and a “bend test,” which tests the integrity of the welded coupon. All the graduates of the Welding Training Program passed the WPS Sheet Metal tests.