Joseph Carter knew he had to learn basic computer skills if he wanted a fair shot at a career in automobiles. He had to start from square one, learning Microsoft Word, Excel and typing skills.
Carter, who didn’t know much more than how to turn a computer on, signed up for Goodwill’s weekly computer training class at the Frederick County Work Release Center in Frederick.
Carter, 23, completed his final class last Friday and expects to be released from the center later this year.
‘‘I’m proud of myself,” Carter said. ‘‘I’m ready to sit down and learn some more.”
Carter is one of 18 inmates at the Work Release Center who have completed Goodwill’s computer training since the nonprofit began the course in March. The class is voluntary and one of several life skills courses inmates may take to help them transition into society before their release. Inmates at the Work Release Center hold jobs during the day or night.
Every Wednesday and Friday, Dave Jackson, training manager for Goodwill Industries of Monocacy Valley, teaches computer basics and typing to two classes of students who have limited or no technology skills.
Established in 1969, Goodwill Industries of Monocacy Valley’s mission is to help the disadvantaged and disabled in Frederick and Carroll counties find employment through career training and job placement services. Job resource centers are already up and running inside Goodwill’s Frederick retail stores on Md. Route 85 and East Church Street.
From 2004 to 2006, Goodwill participated in the Foundations for Futures campaign, which raised more than $362,000 for new computers and funded the new job resource centers.
Lauretha Vargas, program coordinator at the Work Release Center, said the idea for the center’s basic computer class came from former inmates.
‘‘[Computer training] could give them the potential to get a better job and higher wages,” Vargas said.
Jackson pre-screens students to assess computer skills before they navigate Microsoft Word, Excel and the Internet. He often pairs inmates who are more knowledgeable with those who need extra encouragement.
Jackson said on average, students increase their test scores by 30 points during the course.
‘‘There’s a lot of people who come in here and think they can’t do it,” Jackson said. ‘‘What we’re hoping is that this might be a start and if they want to, they can take advantage of more of what we offer.”
Jackson joined Goodwill six months ago and also teaches the non-profit’s additional training classes. After he retired from his 30-year career with IBM in 1997, Jackson began working for various nonprofits in Washington, D.C.
While older technology at the Work Release Center often creates a barrier for him and his students, the real challenge is working around inmates’ schedules and offering more computer classes to advance their skills, Jackson said.
Goodwill’s support for programs that help integrate ex-offenders back into society goes beyond Frederick County. The nonprofit champions The Second Chance Act, a bill pending in Congress that would fund state and local initiatives for housing, job training programs and mental health and substance abuse treatment for ex-offenders.
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