Delta College’s Career Technical Education (CTE) Workforce Development Center partnered with David Terry, professor of Administration of Justice, to present a networking event for Delta students called “Entree to Employment: a night with the CDCR.”
The invitation-only dinner was held on Nov. 21 in Danner Hall for students studying in the fields of Administration of Justice, law enforcement, corrections and psychiatric technicians.
Terry has spent years as an advocate highlighting the importance of the partnership between CDCR and Delta College.
“I hope that students gain a better understanding of the various careers that are available, and of their personal fit for those careers,” Terry said. “We’re providing an awareness, the importance of networking and the importance of internship. We’re providing a skill set for people. We’re teaching job skills, attaching a face to an agency and letting students ask questions, and encouraging a positive experience.”
Michelle Castanon and Elizabeth Waters provide job seeking services for all Delta students through the CTE Center in DeRicco 208, with a focus on workplace learning. They highlight workshops, career preparation and share their resources with students in the CTE Center and in classrooms.
“Our goal is awareness, exploration and training; helping students get a better understanding of their career field,” said Castanon, Delta’s CTE and Workforce Development program manager. “At this dinner, they’re able to ask questions of the professionals …find out about new trends, ask about experiences, how they can be a successful candidate or employee. They can ask about available career paths available to them.”
The dinner allowed students to explore their chosen fields further, in a less nerve-wracking way than a standard job interview.
“We bring employers and students together for an evening of just dinner and conversation; something that’s a little lower key than an interview,” said Waters. “But it’s an opportunity for employers and students to interact and talk and get the conversation going in a much more relaxed atmosphere.”
To help students get the most out of this opportunity, Delta hosted pre-dinner events to discuss basic dinner etiquette, respect and professional conversation. Students were coached to successfully talk about themselves and the skill sets they have learned within their studies. The preparation also discussed first impressions, elevator pitches, and general “dos and don’ts.”
Adrianna Brogger, professor in the RTV department, introduced Jason Lowe, the CDCR Training Academy Administrator, as the keynote speaker of the evening.
Lowe encouraged students to join law enforcement and efforts for public safety. He discussed “the vast and positive reforms” that have been enacted in the prison system over the past 20 years.
“A lot of the reforms have changed the way we look at our ability and responsibilities to not only house, but also to prepare inmates to reintegrate back into society,” Lowe said. “It’s a challenging mission between custody and rehabilitation; it’s not an easy tightrope to walk but it’s critical, since over 95 percent of these inmates will be released at some point.”
Prisons are shifting, he said, away from prisoner isolation and are working on reform and reintegration of inmates into the general population.
College classes in computer coding and design are now offered to inmates, both online and in face-to-face courses. Inmates can use e-readers, and some qualify for a puppy training program to train guide dogs for those with disabilities.
Substance abuse programs are in place, and a program has been created to bring ex-felons in as mentors to inmates, in the hopes that they can bond with and assist inmates in ways prison staff can’t.
With more than 128,000 inmates incarcerated in California, there are many jobs available for those who wish to work with this population, and that’s where CTE can help students who are interested in them.
“We are a community college and should be embracing the community and all of its assets,” said Terry. “We should be providing job opportunities for students, assisting in rehabilitation efforts, mobilizing all of our law and correctional agencies to get contributing citizens back, so it’s a full circle. We’re all here to help each other and everything is about relationships …we’re fortunate and blessed to have people who are willing to give up their time to come out and share and volunteer their time.”