In August 2024, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO), in Massachusetts partnered with the Franklin County Tech School (FCTS) to bring welding training to incarcerated men seeking to improve their vocational opportunities. The program includes 60 hours of instruction and hands-on practice with MIG, TIG, and Stick welding thanks to the loan of a mobile training simulator unit to the Sheriff’s Office by the Tech School, providing an “enhanced reality” experience of welding through a screen-equipped welding mask and a digital “torch.”
“The technology is unbelievable,” one participant says. “It’s as close to welding as you can get. The machine scores your work, so it keeps you engaged because you want to keep trying to do better.”
The unit contains six bays, making it possible for a cohort to learn and practice their new skills together, encouraged by their instructor, John Passiglia, and observed by one security staff-member in lieu of security cameras.
In keeping with the saying, “Challenges can be the greatest teachers,” the Covid pandemic taught facilities across the country to find creative ways to continue to offer educational and training opportunities. Through new technologies, remote college courses, and online vocational programs, Franklin County Sheriff Chris Donelan has been innovative in exploring how to bring new opportunities to his facility and the individuals in his care.
“This vocational program speaks to the power of collaboration,” Sheriff Donelan said. “Partnering with our local Vocational and Technical High School, we are providing training and skills that lead to good jobs. One big step toward reducing recidivism.”
FCTS Superintendent Rick Martin won a large Skills Capital state grant in 2023 to purchase the trailer and a collateral pick-up truck, the purpose of which is to go to populations in the community that are unable to attend the Tech School for whatever reason. In August, the unit was towed through the FCSO gates, where it remains for the duration of the 7-week welding curriculum.
Welders across the state earn family-sustaining wages and are always in demand in the job market, the American Association of Welders estimating that upward of 330,000 jobs in this field will be added by 2028.
Another student in the program is looking forward to a new career. “I have cousins in the ironworkers’ union in Boston, and they can’t get enough guys to fill jobs. I can’t wait to learn more when I get out.”
This program offers participants new skills and a sense of purpose as they look to better themselves and prepare to reenter their community.
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Jordan Noe is the Director of Communications at the Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association. A proud alumna of the University of Florida, Jordan holds a degree in Telecommunications with specializations in news and political science. Jordan’s passion for storytelling stems from her three and a half years in television news as an anchor/reporter. Jordan resides in central Massachusetts with her husband and two dogs, whom she adores deeply. For more information, she can be contacted at Jordan.Noe@mass.gov
Chris Pelletier is a Primary Captain with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. For more information, he can be contacted at cpelletier@fcso-ma.us
To learn more about the welding program at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, please contact Nicole Guertin at 413-774-4014 Ext. 2245.