12 Offenders Complete Landscaping Program

12 Offenders Complete Landscaping Program

Burruss CTC hosts graduation ceremony

FORSYTH, Ga. – On June 1, twelve offenders at Burruss Correctional Training Center (CTC) completed the Landscaping Professional Program and received an Agriculture Technical Assistant certificate through the University of Georgia’s Agriculture Technical Assistance Program (AgTAP).

“We are grateful to our partners at UGA’s AgTAP for making this program possible,” said Commissioner Gregory C. Dozier, “This certification provides offenders with opportunities for gainful employment upon release, which is our ultimate goal in helping to reduce recidivism.”  

The Landscape Professional Training program began at Burruss CTC in January 2017, and is led by the Director of the University of Georgia’s AgTAP. The 6-week course has 10 modules and students must pass a test at the end of each module before proceeding to the next. The modules include: Quality Landscape Management: The Employees Role, Making Every Drop Count: Employees Role in Water Conservation, Job Safety for the Professional Landscape Employee, Being Safe with Grounds Equipment, Introduction to Pesticide Safety, Planting Procedures for Woody Ornamentals, Annual Bed Preparation and Installation, Installation and Establishment of Turfgrasses, Pruning Ornamental Plants in the Landscape, and The Employees Role in Landscape Problem Solving.

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 http://www.gdc.ga.gov.

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