El Paso Community College has entered into a contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons to teach incarcerated students the necessary welding skills to make them legitimate candidates for in-demand, good-paying jobs upon their release. 

The program should launch this spring.

The EPCC Board of Trustees approved the five-year, $520,000 agreement last month. To prepare, EPCC must hire a full-time instructor, while the leaders at the Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna, need to upgrade its camp facilities in Anthony, Texas.

La Tuna is a low-security prison for incarcerated males located about 20 miles northwest of El Paso. According to its website, it has about 690 inmates and offers vocational training in welding, automotive and office technology. The prison鈥檚 satellite camp will house the inmates picked for the welding program.

This is the latest effort between the two entities to prepare people who are incarcerated to transition back into society. Blayne J. Primozich, associate vice president for Workforce & Continuing Education at EPCC, said it was part of the college鈥檚 mission to assist underserved populations.

鈥�(Incarcerated students) earn time off their sentences for every course they complete, but the idea is also to make them workforce ready,鈥� Primozich said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 key to reducing recidivism.鈥�

According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, approximately 600,000 Americans are released from state and federal prisons annually, and they add to the almost who have been arrested or convicted for a crime. That connection to a criminal past can make it difficult to get a job, let alone one that pays well.

According to a 2022 report published by the Prison Policy Initiative, approximately 60% of people who were incarcerated in a federal prison do not have a job up to four years after their release. To put it in perspective, the U.S. had an unemployment rate of in 2020 during the pandemic. The current unemployment rate is 3.7%.

A Corp. analysis showed that incarcerated people who participate in education programs are 43% less likely than others to be incarcerated again, and the government saves $4 to $5 in reimprisonment costs for every dollar spent on prison education.

While the college and the prison have collaborated for more than 20 years, this is the college鈥檚 first big effort to teach at the prison since the pandemic. Olga L. Valerio, dean of EPCC鈥檚 Advanced Technology Center on the Valle Verde campus, said prison officials will select the participants for the certification program, which should last from six to eight months. Each cohort could have as many as 14 students.  

EPCC officials said that the college has collaborated with La Tuna on other similar training programs that teach interior and exterior vehicle renovations, and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning. Valerio said participants with those skills have become successful workers and, in some cases, business owners, upon their release.

鈥淭his has opened doors for them,鈥� Valerio said.

Primozich said that the college鈥檚 goal is for the La Tuna students to earn their American Welding Society certifications in Shielded Metal Arc Welding and Gas Metal Arc Welding. The courses would include theory, safety training and hands-on experience with industrial welding equipment.

Once certified in those welding processes, those participants will be ready to work in maintenance and manufacturing shops, steel construction sites and oil field operations, according to the abstract presented to the trustees. The size of employers range from big companies to small businesses.

According to Salary.com, the average salary for an entry-level welder in El Paso County is $40,843 as of January, but salaries could range from about $36,300 to $46,800. Those who move out of the area could earn more.

The welding courses, which are free to the students, are funded in part through the government鈥檚 First Step Act. Congress passed the legislation in 2018 to promote rehabilitation services such as job training, lower recidivism, and to reduce sentence times.

An August 2023 brief in included an announcement from the Department of Justice that the recidivism rate of those people who used the First Step Act was lower than those who did not. The report stated that of the nearly 30,000 people who gained an early release because of the program, almost 90% had not been rearrested or reincarcerated. In contrast, a 2021 article in the stated that within three years, about 66% of formerly incarcerated people are rearrested, and more than 50% are reincarcerated.   

College and prison officials said that they will do what they can to help the certified welding students to find a job after they are released.

Louis Castillo, industry project manager with Workforce Solutions Borderplex or WSB, said having an up-to-date certification in an in-demand field helps, but people who were incarcerated also need to find a company that will give former felons a chance.

People who recently were released from prison often deal with barriers to employment. Among those Castillo listed were homelessness, substance abuse, mental health issues, the stigma of a criminal record, and a lack of reliable transportation.

鈥淲hen an employer is looking at two candidates, a lot of times those kinds of biases will have them choose the one who doesn鈥檛 have the record,鈥� Castillo said.

The WSB manager said that there are openings for skilled laborers such as welders. However, he said that jobs outside the region could pose a logistical problem for people who must stay in a certain area as a condition of their parole. While La Tuna prisoners come from throughout the country, most are from the southwest.

Sandra Qui帽onez, La Tuna鈥檚 supervisor of education, said the prison is in early discussions with EPCC and the University of Texas at El Paso to offer college courses inside the institution using Pell Grant funds. As of July 1, 2023, the U.S. government made Pell Grants available to qualified people who are incarcerated so they can pursue a college education.

Qui帽onez said that the effort will proceed after the institutions submit the required documentation to the U.S. Department of Education.

A UTEP official said the university is in talks to offer some courses at La Tuna, but there is nothing official to report yet. EPCC did not respond to a request to comment.

This first appeared on and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

To better understand policymakers鈥� perceptions of support for and willingness to federally fund non-degree pathways, American Student Assistance and Jobs for the Future commissioned a report, , based on a poll of a diverse and select group of 156 policy influencers working in Washington, D.C. The vast majority 鈥� 93% of those polled 鈥� agree that nondegree pathways can lead to rewarding, successful careers, and 89% believe that vocational schools, certificate programs and other options can provide students with skills that will meet employers鈥� needs. Moreover, 89% of those polled want legislation to help these alternative approaches expand over the next five years, and 78% want to see a boost in federal funding for them.

I believe this can and must happen, but it won鈥檛 without support from elected officials. Here are seven recommendations for policymakers to make this a reality. 

1. Expand Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning Opportunities 

Congress must reauthorize to reflect current economic realities and employer needs, and to increase these opportunities. This includes targeting funding for the expansion of youth apprenticeships, so high school students 鈥� including those who face barriers to employment 鈥� can test out various hands-on experiences in different industries. 

2. Encourage Career Readiness as a Core Component of K-12 Accountability 

Federal policymakers should encourage and support states in adjusting their high school accountability standards and metrics by embracing career readiness as a core goal and expanding definitions of school success beyond test scores and college enrollment metrics. Skills acquisition should be core to K-12 education.

3. Strengthen Student Supports
   Policymakers should provide guidance, technical assistance and funding to high schools to help every student develop a career path before graduation. This should include expanded use of technology-enabled career navigation tools and counselors who can provide information students need to make informed choices about the path that’s right for them.
4. Improve Career Navigation and Access to Data 

Legislative policy should encourage the expansion of career navigation services so they are available to all young people. There is also a need for transparent data systems that encourage sharing across platforms and provide easy-to-understand information on the quality of education and training programs.

5. Increase Investment in Nondegree Pathways

Federal funding should be allocated to create more awareness and acceptance of nondegree pathways. These include vocational schools that allow young people to thrive in jobs such as in manufacturing and skilled trades that keep the economy running.

6. Invest in Grants to Spur Innovation 

The federal government should create a grants program to incentivize innovative strategies around non-degree pathways, evaluate their effectiveness and communicate best practices that best support both student success and employer needs.

7. Promote Skills Building 

Policymakers should ensure that all federal laws impacting youth, older adolescents and adults stress the importance of continued skills-building. The secretaries of education, labor and commerce must work together to ensure the federal government plays a strong and coordinated role in building the future workforce and spurring employers to take action. 

To ensure that all Americans have equitable opportunities and economic mobility, good-paying jobs and financial stability, lawmakers must craft and adopt policies that champion postsecondary pathways as diverse as the workers who make up America’s 21st century workforce. Today, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to navigating the education-to-career pathway. College has become the country鈥檚 default, but students need to be aware of all viable pathways to success. It is incumbent upon legislators, educators, employers, parents and students themselves to embrace and support an array of career options that will bring all young people success.