Job Training:

            In addition to the programs offered through
            Windham School District,
            job training is available to offenders who work in the various operations of TDCJ.

            The mission of the
            Manufacturing and Logistics Division
            is to benefit the State of Texas by providing quality service in warehousing operations, freight trans­ portation, the management of TDCJ vehicles and by providing quality manufactured products and services to TDCJ, other state agencies and political subdivisions, while affording reentry opportunities for incarcerated offenders.

            The objective is to provide work program participants with marketable job skills through coordinated programs of job skills training, documentation of work history, access to resources provided by Project RIO and the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) and to share with the TWC information regarding offender participation in the Work Against Recidivism (WAR) Program.

            To optimize certified training programs,
            The Manufacturing and Logistics Division
            partners with the Windham School District and other TDCJ divisions. Nationally accredited certification programs are available to eligible offenders such as A+, Network +, Braille transcription at both entry and advanced levels, GEOMedia Professional, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 608 and 609, American Welding Society (AWS) and the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE).

            The Agribusiness, Land and Minerals Department
            operates farms and ranches throughout the state to produce as much of the food and fiber requirements of the TDCJ as possible. Offenders have the opportunity to participate in these programs and learn marketable job skills.

            Offenders learn animal husbandry through participation in cattle, swine, poultry, horse or dog programs. They can gain experience in farming and equipment operation by participating in the field and/or edible crop programs and in mechanical skills in the farm shops.

            Offenders can also learn warehousing and plant operation skills by working in the food processing plants, cotton gins, feed mills or in the local food bank programs.

            Formal training and/or certification is available through many of these jobs.

            The Facilities Division
            utilizes offenders in construction and building maintenance.

            The most commonly utilized trades are electrician; heating, ventilation and air conditioning mechanic; plumbing; painting; construction equipment operator; concrete finishing; and carpentry.

            Texas Correctional Industries (TCI)
            has forty-two manufacturing operations at Institutional Division units that produce a diverse range of products such as textiles, apparel, detergents, mattresses, mops, brooms, license plates, furniture and metal products.

            TCI strives to ensure that jobs at its factories offer offenders the opportunity to learn marketable skills that can be used to secure employment upon release from confinement.

            TCI has over 150 different jobs that offer offenders training in such fields as woodworking, metal fabrication, and textile/apparel production.

            Jobs at TCI factories are similar to jobs at comparable manufacturing operations outside TDCJ.

            Safety is a top priority at all TCI factories and all offenders employed by TCI receive monthly safety training.

            Transportation and Supply, in conjunction with Windham School District and Lee College, offers opportunities for offenders to receive on-the-job training for a variety of vocational training programs.

            One of the most successful programs offered is that for Offender Truck Drivers.

            Through college level courses, offenders are able to receive their Commercial Driver's License with Hazardous Material and Fee Endorsements.

            Transportation and Supply repair facilities are utilized for practical applications of diesel repair, auto repair, and machine shop training to further enhance the training provided by Windham School District and Lee College.

            Currently, a new program offers training in all areas of warehousing and warehouse equipment to offenders through Windham School District.

            The Agribusiness, Land and Minerals Division operates several different enterprises throughout the state.

            Offenders are utilized in the production enterprises of farming and ranching, as well as the division's packing plant, beef processing plant, vegetable canning plant, feedmills, cotton gins, and pest control operations.

            In addition, offenders are involved in the division's participation with food bank programs.

            Offenders are also an integral part of the labor force in many other capacities of the farm operations.

            These jobs include farm machinery repair, motor vehicle repair, parts inventory, heavy equipment operator/combine operator, welding, veterinary practices, and clerical.

            All these duties equip offenders with marketable skills for use upon their release back to society.

            The Facilities Division utilizes offenders in construction and building maintenance.

            The most commonly utilized trades are electrician; heating, ventilation and air conditioning mechanic; plumbing; painting; construction equipment operator; concrete finishing; and carpentry.

            TCI Programs:
            Prison Industry Enhancement (PIE) Program
            Work Against Recidivism (WAR) Program




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