INMATES' WORK AT FAIR LAUDED JOINT PROGRAM WITH AVC TAUGHT MEN TRADE SKILLS.

Byline: Daily News

LANCASTER - Antelope Valley Fair and Antelope Valley College officials congratulated state prison inmates who helped prepare landscaping and do other work at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds.

At a Vocational Inmates Program graduation ceremony Aug. 17 at the fairgrounds, the minimum-security inmates received ground maintenance certificates.

``In addition to ground maintenance knowledge, I think these graduates learned good work ethics and practical skills,'' said Neal Weisenberger, an AVC agriculture professor and the program instructor.

The trade skills will help the men find jobs when they get out of prison, said LeeRoy Halley, president of the Antelope Valley Fair board of directors.

The inmates also received college credit for completing the program, which is a joint effort by California State Prison-Los Angeles County, the fair and the college.

``The cooperative work of the fairgrounds, the Department of Corrections and the Antelope Valley College benefits all three organizations and the people they serve. Just as importantly, this agreement serves the hard-working taxpayers,'' said Assemblywoman Sharon Runner, R-Lancaster, a program supporter.

To earn the certificate, each inmate had to complete four courses - environmental gardening, turf and landscape maintenance, plant and landscape maintenance and nursery practices.

The same classes are available at the AVC campus, but the inmates were taught at the fairgrounds.

``It's our mission to help provide people with skills to get a job. This program will provide an opportunity for people to improve their standard of living and enhance their quality of life,'' said AVC President Jackie L. Fisher.

Local officials said the program could serve as a model for other California communities.