CCRI’s partnership with Polaris MEP and RIDOC earns 2022 RIDOC Teamwork Award

06/13/2023

The Community College of Rhode Island’s partnership with Polaris MEP and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) was selected as the 2022 recipient of the RIDOC's Teamwork Award.

This annual award honors an interdisciplinary team that accomplished a specific goal or project that contributed to the Department of Corrections’ mission. An awards ceremony will be held Tuesday, June 20 at 9 am in the Visiting Room of the RIDOC's Medium Security Facility.

In February, the partnership celebrated its first cohort of graduates from CCRI’s “Fast Track to CNC Manufacturing” program at RIDOC’s Women’s Facility. Six students completed Phase 1 of CNC training, which includes the courses required to earn 13 credits and OSHA 10 certification.

Once the students become eligible for work release, parole, or transition the partnership will work with them to help place them in jobs with high-growth advanced manufacturing partner companies in Rhode Island. The “Fast Track to CNC Manufacturing” program is one of several post-secondary education and vocational training opportunities offered at the RIDOC.

“This partnership between the Community College of Rhode Island, Polaris MEP and RIDOC is very important and valuable, as it directly advances the mission and goals of this agency,” said Wayne Salisbury, RIDOC Interim Director, “By providing advanced manufacturing skills and employment opportunities for offenders, the program’s goal is to help participants attain in-demand jobs that pay a livable wage enabling them to provide for their families and contribute to their communities and helping to reduce recidivism in our state.”

“It’s an honor to be recognized for the Teamwork Award alongside our colleagues at Polaris MEP and the Department of Corrections,” said Jennie Johnson, Vice President, Division of Workforce Partnerships at CCRI. “Through this partnership, we were collectively able to launch a program that has already experienced some early successes. We look forward to our collective work together to deliver training that leads to employment opportunities for justice-impacted individuals.”

Launched in the community in 2017 in collaboration with Polaris MEP, CCRI’s “Fast Track to CNC Manufacturing” program is free for all who qualify and meet employer needs for higher-skilled candidates by teaching the fundamentals of manufacturing, safety, and blueprint reading while helping students secure employment as CNC machinists or operators. To date, they have completed 17 cohorts and students have been placed at more than 50 different manufacturers in Rhode Island.

Polaris MEP, a statewide nonprofit organization and affiliate of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership, provides competitive business improvement programs to grow Rhode Island’s manufacturing industry.

Share on Social Media