U.S. Dept. of Labor Invests $1 Million in CareerTech’s Young Offender Program

Statistics show that after serving “time” the rising number of young offenders in Oklahoma often return to old neighborhoods, old friends, drugs and crime. A high percentage of them don’t read past the eighth grade level, know math at a level acceptable for entry into the workforce or have a high school diploma or a General Educational Development (GED) certificate.

That downward spiral can eliminate a person’s chance at being successful in life and drain the state’s ability to be economically successful.

A plan to empower these young people to turn their lives around as lifelong learners and valuable workers prepared for the future employment is now poised to become a reality.

On July 13, the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education Skills Center School System received one of the largest grants awarded by the U.S. Dept of Labor to prepare young offenders for successful entry into the workforce. A total of $15.6 million was given to 16 organizations from 12 states ranging from $851,000 to $1 million.

Oklahoma was one of only eight recipients of $1 million.

The grant focuses on training students for careers in the metal manufacturing and construction industry clusters. It is a collaborative effort. The Governor’s Council for Workforce and Economic Development, industry representatives, juvenile justice, faith-based organizations, the Department of Corrections and the Department of Commerce, joined Oklahoma’s CareerTech system in this joint effort, according to Dom Garrison. Garrison is superintendent of the CareerTech Skills Centers School System.

“The project could serve up to 200 young Oklahomans from 16 to 21 years of age during the first year,” Garrison said. “We will provide career specific training, rigorous mathematics, literacy and communications skills development, and transition services to help these students successfully enter the workforce,” Garrison said.

The grant will be used at three correctional facilities with CareerTech Skills Centers programs. They are the William Key Correctional Center, Ft. Supply; Bill Johnson Correctional Center, Alva; and Howard McLeod Correctional Center, Lane.

The grant will also be used for outreach with the court system for young offenders who have not yet been sentenced to prison, providing services to help get them on their feet.

“Our goal is to connect these young people with existing community and educational resources to deter them from entering the prison system,” Garrison said. “We are working with wholesome support groups. These offenders are often children who don’t have positive support systems.”

Selected as a demonstration grant to build a model for other states, the CareerTech Skills Centers will work with the Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections to identify young people who would qualify to benefit from these services, and in turn benefit Oklahoma’s economy.

The transition and reintegration of incarcerated people back into communities is not new in Oklahoma with partnerships dating back to the early 1970s that include CareerTech skills centers, workforce training centers, industry, the Department of Commerce and Department of Human Services.

For this grant, industry partner Dick Anderson, executive director of the Oklahoma Chapter of Associated General Contractors, will provide mentors and hands-on training to those who are selected for the program.

“This is a chance to build a pipeline of a skilled workforce with a high level of academic performance and solid work ethics at a critical time in the industry with a shrinking labor pool,” Anderson said.

This grant is very timely, coming, not only at a time when so many young people have found themselves incarcerated or adjudicated, but also close to the year 2010 when Oklahoma will be losing 30 to 60 percent of its workforce to retirement, according to Oklahoma State Deputy Secretary of Commerce for Workforce Development Norman Noble.

“Every able-bodied person needs to be prepared. These young people are so important to our future. This grant will help get them back on the right side of the track. We have found, through experience, that it takes more than locking kids up to help them land on the right track,” Nobles said.

To that end, the grant provides a support system with alternatives and opportunities for these young people to legally earn a living.

“Knowing they are backed by a support system not only for skills training, but to help deal with housing issues, decision-making, emotional and social counseling – raises self-esteem,” Noble said. “This grant provides those missing pieces so those who could be lost to the workforce, and as taxpaying citizens, may now be added,” Noble said

For more information visit: http://www.okcareertech.org/skillscenters

Executive Director Dick Anderson, center, signs the Paid Worksite Learning Agreement between the Oklahoma Department of CareerTech and the AGC

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Oklahoma Chapter of Associated General Contractors (AGC) Executive Director Dick Anderson, center, signs the Paid Worksite Learning Agreement between the Oklahoma Department of CareerTech and the AGC. Also shown are Oklahoma State Deputy Secretary of Commerce for Workforce Development Norma Noble, left, and Oklahoma CareerTech Director Phil Berkenbile. Implementation of the grant project will begin immediately.

posted July 29, 2005

Press Release