Michigan Prisons Need to Fill 700 Corrections Officers Positions

The Kalamazoo Valley Law Enforcement Training Center at Kalamazoo Valley Community College is offering a four-week-long Corrections Officer Academy that runs from October 21 to November 15 to help fill the growing number of open corrections positions in state prisons. Classes are held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Groves Campus. Registration is open to the public.

The Corrections Officer Academy is a Michigan Sheriffs Coordinating and Training Council-approved, 160-hour certification program for correctional personnel supervising inmates in county jails. Employment opportunities for certified corrections officers are exceptionally high and are expected to increase over the next decade. The average starting salary is $36,753.

This four-week program focuses on obtaining the skills necessary to maintain the safety and security of a correctional facility. The tuition is $1,200 and the program is eligible for funding through the Kalamazoo Promise, Veterans Administration Education Benefits and the Michigan No Worker Left Behind program.

Open enrollment will take place at the Groves Campus on Monday, September 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Due to limited space for the academy, candidate evaluations will be conducted to determine admittance into the program. Admission to the program will be granted on a first come, first served basis to those who meet the minimum eligibility requirements.

To be eligible for academy consideration, participants must: be at least 18 years of age; possess a high school diploma or equivalent; apply to become a Kalamazoo Valley student; have no prior felony convictions (including expunged convictions); and successfully meet minimum scores on Kalamazoo Valley placement tests. Minimum Next Generation Accuplacer placement scores include a 236 in Reading and a 247 in Writing. No minimum math scores are required.

Individuals interested in coming to open enrollment should bring their driver’s license and placement scores. To reserve a seat in the academy, a nonrefundable deposit of $250 is required at the time of registration. The application deadline is October 7.

For more information, visit www.kvcc.edu/corrections or contact Victor Ledbetter at 269.353.1261 or vledbetter@kvcc.edu or Kenyatta Herrion at 269.353.1280 or kherrion@kvcc.edu.