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Hamilton County offering electrical vocational program at jail

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Instructor Mike Ring teaches a class on wiring at the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Vocational Training Center on Sept. 17, 2024.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Instructor Mike Ring teaches a class on wiring at the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Vocational Training Center on Sept. 17, 2024. Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Instructor Mike Ring teaches a class on wiring at the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Vocational Training Center on Sept. 17, 2024.

By Ellen Gerst 4 min read

In a brightly-lit classroom inside an old highway department garage, Darren Smith said he’s found hope.

Smith is one of four students in the first class of a new electrical vocational program at the Hamilton County Jail, as part of a partnership with Chattanooga State Community College.

After finishing the eight-week course and getting released, Smith said he plans on finishing his education and going into an electrical career. It’ll be a big change from what he was doing before.

(READ MORE: WATCH: 7 things to know as Hamilton County opens new jail building)

“Truthfully, I was selling drugs,” Smith said in an interview at the vocational center. “I was lost, selling drugs, partying a lot, and coming here, I got closer to God, changing my life around completely. This program gave me hope.”