KAYSVILLE—Davis Technical College, in conjunction with the Utah Department of Human Services Juvenile Justice Services has partnered to bring their programs to the Mill Creek Youth Center in Ogden.

“They reached out to us,” said Melanie Hall, Director of Marketing & Community Relations for DTC. “We already have programs at the Utah State Prison in Draper. The center had a previous partnership with Ogden Tech but they didn’t want to continue so they asked us to develop a training program for incarcerated youth.”

DTC is offering five programs, welding, C&C machining, plastic injection molding, robotics and composites. “They get to work on new equipment and learn just like they would if they were on campus. It’s great for incarcerated youth who are eligible.”

Hall said it’s a 400 hour program. “It’s self-paced here so students have to demonstrate competency. It’s around five months of training but I’m not sure how long it takes for them. They started training in December. The classes rotate students in as they become eligible.”

Students can start at the center and as they are released they can continue here, she said. “They can go on to get a fuller certificate. They’re all on the same pathway as here and they can articulate in a degree program with our partners like Weber State University. It gives them a solid foundation for their career path as they come out of incarceration.”

“The law changed so if someone is sentenced prior to turning 18 they can stay in the youth system until they’re 25,” said DTC Program Manager Dan Powers. “The JJC recognized they’d have kids in the system longer and sending a 25-year-old out with only a high school education they wouldn’t get very far.”

So far there are 10 students in the program at the youth center. “We expect them to graduate in April,” he said. “We’ve had industries that have expressed interest in hiring them when they graduate.”

This is DTC’s first partnership for youth, Powers said. “We’ve been working with the state prison for about 10 years. There are seven to 10 programs there.”

Powers said Farmington Bay is coming up with a process to move female youth to the facility so they can partake in the Mill Creek program, he said. “The number of female offenders is considerably lower than males.”

Youth in the program at Mill Creek are considered full students at Davis Tech. “They have access to all the resources as on campus students,” said Powers. “We help them with resume writing and connect them with employers as they’re leaving. There is a full-time instructor whose designated assignment is at Mill Creek so we can keep the continuity there.”

Powers said the youth get to experience all five of the different manufacturing components but welding is the most popular. “Everybody loves sparks.”

The experience has been overwhelmingly positive, he said. “It’s become a place they want to be. A lot of kids don’t have the opportunity yet. The Mill Creek staff has seen a change in behavior with those who may not be able to attend. They’re trying to do better in the hope they’ll be eligible to come to the program.”

The program has created a generational change, Powers said. “For many of these kids they’re the first one in their family to get a high school diploma let alone go beyond that to get post-secondary education. It’s exciting for these kids. We’re hopeful we’ll see a positive result.”