Two young men graduated from a special welding program today.
Christopher Faniel and Jason Young successfully completed the Technical Welding Program. The program was made possible through a partnership between South Louisiana Community College and the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Faniel and Young, offenders under the supervision of the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Corrections Division, completed all coursework and performance profiles to receive a technical diploma certificate in welding.
This is the first graduating class of the program, which started in August of 2017 through a collaboration among Sheriff Mark Garber, SLCC Chancellor Dr. Natalie Harder, Instructor Dwayne Martin, Executive Director of Academic Initiatives Andre Perez and several others.
“I’m very proud of Mr. Faniel and Mr. Young. It takes a lot of work and effort to get through aprogram that long. They’ll be able to save money for when they get out, and have a marketableskill to offer the work force,” Garber said. “I’m also very proud of SLCC. Thank you for all of the equipment that you donated, and thank you for the academic support that you’ve provided.”
Faniel and Young will transition to the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office Transitional Work Program where they can secure employment in the community prior to their release. Upon release, participants have the option to continue classes at SLCC and work toward obtaining an Associate Degree.
