Southeast Technical College Approved for Second Chance Pell: Inmates Can Apply for Welding and Diesel Courses
Southeast Technical College in Sioux Falls, Minnehaha County, South Dakota, has been approved to offer courses eligible for the federal Second Chance Pell Grant, allowing inmates in the Sioux Falls area to apply for Pell Grants to pay for welding and diesel mechanic courses. Applicants must complete a paper Free Application for Federal Student Aid, with eligibility determined the same way as for other students.
The approval comes as about half of people released from South Dakota prisons return within three years, and job-skills training is seen as key to breaking that cycle. Governor Larry Rhoden previously awarded Southeast Tech a $1.5 million Future Fund grant to set up the diesel mechanic program, and the state's Correctional Rehabilitation Task Force has tentatively endorsed using Pell Grants for inmate skills training as part of a broader rehabilitation package.
Under the timeline, the first Pell-funded welding cohort starts in January 2027 and diesel training is planned for August 2027 at the Jameson Annex. The task force will compile and vote on its 34 recommendations in December 2026. The college has not disclosed how many inmates have enrolled.
(Source: Wisevoter)
Source: Wisevoter
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：焊接作业火花飞溅（资料图）。美国空军照片，Senior Airman Luis E. Rios Calderon 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Welding work with sparks flying (file photo). U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Luis E. Rios Calderon, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
