The opening of a new technology training center at Folsom State Prison’s Women’s Facility in California this October marks a milestone in a three-year-old program that is the only authorized Autodesk-certified CAD training in a state prison. The center offers CAD and computer-coding classes for women preparing to leave prison, training a potential new pool of workforce talent for the engineering industry.
Chuck Pattillo, general manager for the California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA), says he approached Autodesk in 2014, looking to add to CALPIA’s Career Technical Education (CTE) program. Working in collaboration with unions, CTE launched in 2006 and offers training in ironworking, general construction skills, facilities maintenance and commercial diving.