Oklahoma CareerTech broke ground for a new Skills Center instructional facility at John H. Lilley Correctional Center in Boley recently.
The new building will house a career readiness program, an underground utility program and a skilled trade program.
“We are excited to begin our second construction project for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections,” said Jerry Burnett, Skills Centers state superintendent. “Our partnership with the Department of Corrections has been outstanding, and we look forward to continuing to provide job training opportunities for inmates for many years to come.”
Oklahoma CareerTech’s skills centers specialize in delivering career and technology education to inmates under the supervision of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and juveniles under the supervision of the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs.
In addition to learning the technical skills they need for careers, students also learn life skills, including interview and resume skills, and work with an employment transition coordinator who helps students find, obtain and keep jobs after release.
“An investment in trades education for Oklahomans is an investment in the Oklahoma economy,” said Oklahoma CareerTech State Director Brent Haken. “The hope for the future that Skills Centers education brings to future generations is unmatched and impossible without the partnership with the Department of Corrections. Together we are making the state a better place to work, live and raise a family by bringing individuals the skills they need to prosper.”
J.H. Lilley Correctional Center is a minimum security facility that houses approximately 800 male inmates. It opened in 1983.
The new Skills Center facility is expected to be completed by early spring 2027, Burnett said.
Oklahoma CareerTech: Oklahoma’s Workforce Leader
The Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education provides leadership and resources and assures standards of excellence for a comprehensive statewide system of career and technology education. The system offers programs and services in 29 technology center districts operating on 63 campuses, 394 PK-12 school districts, 20 Skills Centers campuses that include three juvenile facilities and 49 adult education and family literacy providers.
The agency is governed by the State Board of Career and Technology Education and works closely with the State Department of Education and the State Regents for Higher Education to provide a seamless educational system for all Oklahomans.
