Pilot Program Trains Offenders

Sunday, December 24th 2006, 1:27 pm

By: News On 6

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) Instead of facing prison time, a group of students from the Mid-America Technology Center are negotiating job offers after completing a pilot program to train offenders in new job skills.

The program allows first-time, nonviolent offenders to avoid jail time and earn a high school diploma and skills as a heavy-equipment operator and commercial driver. It was developed by the school in conjunction with the State Department of Education, Department of Corrections, and the community sentencing branches of Cleveland, McClain and Garvin counties.

Participants spent the last few months training on heavy equipment by clearing land on the site for the school's new location on west Oklahoma 9.

``It's one of those dual-functions,'' said Mid-America Superintendent Dusty Ricks. ``It's probably saving us a ton on that (site) pre-construction. Our students have been out there, pushing the dirt around, but it's really about giving these people a chance.

``It's changed some lives. I can tell you that much.''

Bruce Bridwell, industrial coordinator with Mid-America, said there's a huge shortage of heavy equipment operators in Oklahoma, and that the program will help not only divert offenders from prison, but provide a potential labor pool for employers.

``Rather than sending them to prison, which costs so much, we're using a little bit of the money to catch them early on, train them in something that will allow them to make some real money, and saying, 'wait a minute, you've had a run-in with the law, but here's a chance to do something better with your life.'''

Oklahoma businesses were quick to respond to the program, Bridwell said, with some donating use of their heavy machinery and agreeing to hire on some of the program's graduates, like Heath McCoy, a new father.

``This has definitely opened up a lot of job opportunities for me,'' McCoy said. ``It's been a little bit of work, but in the long run, that (commercial driver's license) and experience gives me a lot of advantages in the workplace.

``And it's not jail.''