Decatur Correctional Center launched first women's vocational training program

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - The Illinois Department of Corrections and Lake Land College launched the first women's institutional manufacturing and warehousing program.

The program is housed in Decatur Correctional Center and launched last week. The goal is to teach women incarcerated the basic skills in manufacturing and warehousing so they can enter the work force after being released.

"Both of these programs are really high opportunities for quick jobs and competitive wages when they get out," said Duwayne Owens, Vocational Coordinator for the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The vocational program is hands-on training. Lake Land College President Josh Bullock told WAND News it's a goal of the college to create educational opportunities that will prepare women to enter the workforce.

"We know there are so many career opportunities and options available in the manufacturing sector and it's truly under represented by women," he said.

Lake Land College serves 25 facilities in Illinois, 23 are with IDOC and 2 are with the Illinois Department of Juvenal Justice.

"The goal really is to make sure we are training them in fields where we know they will have a successful career beyond incarceration," said President Bullock.

Joanna McManigal, an offender in Decatur Correctional, told WAND News she is aiming for an Associates Degree. She is enrolled in the program and said the skills and training she learns will take her another step closer to completing that Associates Degree.

"I've really been thinking about taking this further. Once I'm done here, I want to pursue a career in manufacturing and it's an honor to get picked to do this," she said.

For Claudette Lowe, who is nearing the end of her 30-year sentence, said when she is released she wants to find a job. The Decatur resident said she's heard of many openings in manufacturing and warehousing, so this would be a great opportunity for her after she is released.

"I'd like to do something different that many women aren't doing," she said. "I've been locked up for so long, so it's nice to have an education before I leave."