Women at the River City Correctional Center in Cincinnati who completed Northern Kentucky University’s Second Chance Education Program were honored at a recent celebration.
Northern Kentucky University and its College of Informatics representatives honored the inaugural cohort of students who completed the pilot program, which aims to provide educational opportunities in information technology to incarcerated women at River City.
The Northern Kentucky University Second Chance Education Program creates pathways to college and livable wages for incarcerated individuals. The College of Informatics created the program in collaboration with the NKU social work program.
The Second Chance Education Program consists of training in basic computer concepts and terminology and using Microsoft Word and Excel professionally. It was designed to yield three college credits upon transfer to NKU. College of Informatics faculty members developed and delivered the curriculum; social work faculty members will evaluate program outcomes.
In January, the program pilot was brought to women incarcerated at the River City Correctional Center in Cincinnati. On March 9, the first five graduates celebrated their program completion with family, River City staff, and representatives from NKU. The College of Informatics arranged for surplus and reimaged laptops from NKU to be presented to the graduates along with their certificate of completion.