DEL VALLE, Texas (KXAN) — Travis County now has 21 new dog trainers.

Inmates at the Travis County Correctional Complex graduated from their ‘Dogs 101’ course Tuesday. The program, gives them hands-on experience training dogs from the Austin Animal Center.

The program gives the dogs exercise and attention while inmates build relationships and boost self-confidence and gain experience that could lead to volunteer or job opportunities after they’re released.

The course is expected to expand allowing inmates to foster dogs inside their cells depending on their past behavior and charges they face.