Commissioner : Homer Bryson

Director of Public Affairs : Joan Heath

GDC partners with Goodwill of North Georgia, North Georgia Tech and the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission (GMRC)

FORSYTH, Ga. – On April 14, eight residents graduated from the inaugural Welding class at Arrendale Transitional Center (TC) located in Alto, GA. 

“On the job training is an integral part of our reentry initiative,” said Commissioner Bryson. “The Welding program at Arrendale TC provides a specific skill set to the residents which will exponentially raise their chance of employment.” 

Arrendale TC partnered with multiple agencies to make this 12-week program a success; Goodwill of North Georgia’s Career Center hosted the soft skills training every Thursday, North Georgia Technical College provided hands on welding training every Friday, and the GMRC’s Workforce Development department obtained the grant that funded the program.

Upon completion, the residents received a Gas Metal Arc Welding Certificate from North Georgia Technical College and a Career Readiness Certificate from Goodwill of North Georgia. 

During the program, residents learned filet “T” joint and lap joint welding with the MIG (metal inert gas) welder in the flat, horizontal and vertical positions. They completed Blueprint Reading and Design, and Introduction to Pipe Welding, and obtained experience in setting up the welders and adjusting controls to perform a variety of different situations, temperatures and speeds. They also gained experience with the plasma and oxygen acetylene torches, forklift and shears.

Arrendale TC has 11 residents enrolled in the second welding course, which started April 14.

The GDC has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 52,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees.

For more information on the GDC call 478-992-5248 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.