FROM: Jessica Lowe, Oklahoma Horizon Video Producer/Reporter
|
|
|
First CareerTech Electrician Class Graduates From Mabel Bassett Camouflaged in shades of gray among hundreds of other female offenders, four Mabel Bassett Correctional Center inmates now walk with their heads held a little higher. They each have something that no other inmate in this highly populated facility has—electrician career training. Debrah Dewberry, Cornelia Woodard, Ellen Gilbert and Karen Drew have just completed an eight-month electrician course provided by the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education Skills Center. Mabel Bassett is one of 22 Oklahoma correctional facilities that have a CareerTech Skills Center. As a result of academic completion, these newly certified electricians have a greater sense of personal pride and accomplishment. “I wanted to challenge myself to see if it was something that I could really do,” Woodard said. “I had heard that the electrician field is very difficult and I am a person who likes challenge.” With persistent doses of self-motivation and determination, the inmates conquered their fears to become the first graduates from Mabel Bassett to successfully complete the CareerTech electrician course. “It makes me feel good about me,” Dewberry said. “I’ve done something to help myself, to better myself, and I like that.” Of the four graduates, Gilbert is the only one who has a parole date. As the mother of two young daughters she is a role model, even behind bars. “I am my daughter’s role model,” Gilbert said. “She looks up to me very much. Everything that I have accomplished in here has shown her that I have changed. She looks up to that.” The other three graduates will work for the prison facility by handling its electrical needs. According to Dom Garrison, superintendent for the CareerTech Skills Centers, it’s a financial benefit that saves the state taxpayer a tremendous amount of money. “With rising costs related to incarceration, utilizing skilled offender labor to do upkeep on facilities just makes sense,” Garrison said. The class applauds Micky Marsee, the Career Tech instructor for his patience and academic leadership during the course. “I know we were all kind of rowdy at times,” Drew said. “But Mr. Marsee pulled us back in and it was a good class to take.” Teaching a class within prison walls put a lot of pressure on the instructor. “At first the students were very shy and didn’t want to take part in anything,” Marsee said. “A part of my mission was to go in there and help bring them to a level where they could be proud of themselves.” CareerTech Skill Centers provide occupational training programs and related services for incarcerated adults across the state and for juveniles in detention centers. Mabel Bassett is only one of three female facilities utilizing CareerTech Skills Center curriculum. “Many female offenders have limited abilities to enter traditional occupations,” Garrison said. “Electrician training was an area of interest for a large number of Mabel Bassett inmates surveyed.” Although the electrician field has been traditionally associated with male workers, Garrison believes that CareerTech has made a major step in overcoming gender barriers. “Gender is less of a factor in the workplace today,” Garrison adds. “Commercial electrical contractors are seeking qualified, trained electrical apprentices, regardless of gender. This is an occupational area where female trainees can excel.” The Career Tech electrician course has sparked a new interest among Mabel Bassett inmates. The new electricians are proud to have regained better control of their lives, while mastering one challenge at a time. “Once you start and you know that you can accomplish something, you don’t want to stop,” Gilbert said. “It builds your character and gives you hope and a future to look forward to.” -30- View OK Horizon Video Story here Small file Large file posted June 27, 2006 |
| To Press Releases Index | Top of page |