Oklahoma CareerTech officially opened a new Skills Centers School System facility in Vinita Monday in what Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell called “the definition of a win-win for the state of Oklahoma.”
CareerTech opened the skills center at Northeast Oklahoma Community Corrections Center in 2022, but without a dedicated facility, classes were held in the maintenance and warehouse areas of the correctional center.
Classes in career readiness, welding/fabrication and transportation, distribution and logistics have now been moved into the new facility, which will allow CareerTech to prepare more NOCCC students for employment after their release from the correctional system.
“CareerTech didn’t have to do this,” Pinnell said. “CareerTech leaned in with our Department of Corrections to create a partnership so that when we send inmates back into the community, they don’t return here.
“The CareerTech system is one of the best assets the state of Oklahoma has, and every other state is jealous of it. We’ve got something no other state has.”
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.
“This way they get some training and skills to go back out and use these skills to be a productive part of the population,” said Oklahoma Rep. Rusty Cornwell, R-Vinita.
The NOCCC skills center opened in 2022 with money from a Second Chance Act grant administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, part of the U.S. Department of Justice. Oklahoma CareerTech now funds the center.
CareerTech state board member Shaelynn Haning thanked ODOC and the state legislature for their partnership in supporting CareerTech and the work of the Skills Centers School System.
“I want to echo the sentiments of the entire board when I express how committed we are to the training of all individuals who desire to be a valued member of our workforce. The growth of this facility showcases the dedication that the state of Oklahoma has to providing resources that build stronger citizens, families and communities,” she said.
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 is housed at the facility. The employment transition coordinator helps students find, obtain and keep jobs after release.
“Oklahoma CareerTech is focused on serving the workforce,” said State Director Brent Haken. “But we do it in a couple of different ways. We help students of all ages realize their potential, and then we help them realize how they get there.”
NOCCC Warden Derrick Yazel said he is excited for the inmates to have access to the facility and the CareerTech education offered there.
“Our CareerTech staff is the key to this program,” he said. “They are truly changing the lives of our inmates and helping them obtain skills for when they are released.”
Oklahoma CareerTech continues to plan for Skills Centers School System expansion, said Jerry Burnett, state superintendent of skills centers. The agency is in the process of building a similar facility at J.H. Lilley Correctional Center in Boley, he said.
The skills center at NOCCC, he said, “stands as a powerful example of what can be accomplished through strong partnerships. CareerTech’s collaboration with state leaders and DOC reflects a unified dedication to student success, providing high quality education, workforce skills and meaningful opportunities that lead to brighter futures.”
More important than the new building is the spirit of cooperation it represents, Haken said.
“It’s not just the building. It’s recognizing hope,” he said. “That’s what we are all coming together to do because workforce development is a team sport.”
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.
