A press conference was held at the Alaska Carpenters Training Trust in Anchorage on Friday, March 22, 2024, to announce a Memorandum of Understanding between WSRCC and Alaska Department of Corrections. Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom, Department of Corrections Commissioner Jennifer Winkelman, and Department of Labor and Workforce Development Deputy Commissioner Nelson San Juan were in attendance to announce the implementation of the of WSRCC”s Career Connections program at three Alaska State prisons.
The program will be introduced on April 1,2024, at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle Creek and Wildwood Correctional Complex in Kenai. The program will later launch at Palmer Correctional Center in Sutton-Alpine on July 1, 2024, and plans for state-wide implementation are being considered.
At the press event, Lt. Governor Dahlstrom said, “You know, the end it’s a win-win for everybody. It’s a win-win for the students. It’s a win-win for our city and our economy because we are short on people that know how to fix things and know how to build things. And these people are going to come out of this program with incredible skills.”
In many cases, a criminal record acts as an impediment to career opportunities and growth. WSRCC is confident that by including the Career Connections program in the prison education system, this barrier for many will be overcome.