Wheels Of Learning Underway
Wheels of Learning, a national registry for graduates of certified vocational trades programs, is underway in sixteen institutions within the Division of Prisons. Thirty community college instructors from these institutions have completed training to implement the "Wheels" certification as part of their respective programs. The training was conducted by Vernon Daugherty of Guilford Technical Community College, master instructor, and was funded by the North Carolina Community College System, with financial assistance from DOP to purchase training texts. Instructional materials for implementing the program are now being ordered at a cost of over $5,000 per complete set of training modules, which will be paid by DOP Educational Services out of Inmate Welfare Funds. Qualifying to be listed in the national registry will attest to the graduate’s demonstrated competence to perform at industry standard levels and will give the former inmate an added advantage in the following fields of employment: welding, electrical, carpentry, masonry, plumbing, and HVAC. Wheels of Learning is endorsed in North Carolina by the Associated General Contractors (AGC) and has received the support of Keith Hester, Chief of Program Services, since first learning about the program from Hub Lyles of AGC. Further information about the program may be received from Anne Tew in Educational Services, tel: 919-733-3226, ext. 107.

Community College Highlights From 1999 Annual Report
Highlights of the contributions of community colleges to correctional education within DOP institutions, as cited in the 1999 Educational Services Annual Report, clearly indicate why the state’s community colleges are DOP’s primary partners in delivering instruction to inmates. Here are a few of the main highlights:

• Fifty-one of the 58 community colleges comprising the NC Community College System provided curriculum or non-credit instruction for inmates in 1999.
• A total of 4,770 inmates registered for curriculum courses while 19,083 attended non-credit classes.
• A total of 1,301 curriculum awards was presented to inmates for program completion in 1999: 1038 certificates, 190 diplomas, and 73 associate degrees.
• The program area producing the highest percentage of non-credit registrations was Basic Skills (68%), followed by Occupational Extension (24%).
• Community colleges with the most combined enrollments,
• curriculum and non-credit, were: Wake Technical, Richmond, Vance-Granville, Edgecombe, and Western Piedmont CC.

Copies of the annual report were distributed to all DOP superintendents and to all community college presidents. The report is also being posted on the DOC web site

Harnett CI Recycling Project Featured In National Publication
The Computers for Schools Program at Harnett Correctional Institution was featured in a full-page article appearing in the April issue of the Correctional Education Bulletin, which is distributed nationally by LRP Publications. The article explains how graduates of HCI’s Electronic Servicing curriculum, as conducted by Central Carolina Community College, repair computers provided by the Office for State Surplus Property and how the refurbished computers are then distributed to public schools throughout the state at a cost of $20 each. Joseph Hall, Assistant Superintendent for Programs at HCI, is quoted in the article as saying, "This is a wonderful program…a win-win situation. It’s not often that a prison can contribute to a program that benefits everyone involved."

Building Jobs, Rebuilding Lives, A Second Chance Program
"Building Jobs, Rebuilding Lives" is a program for transitioning ex-offenders having construction skills to employment as sponsored by the National Home Builders Association in collaboration with various other trade and construction organizations, including Associated General Contractors. The NC Home Builders Association does not currently participate in the program, commonly called "second chance" programs by corporations, but it is possible that one or more of the 68 Home Builders chapters throughout the state may be interested in becoming a sponsor with a local prison unit. To request a free copy of the program brochure, which explains how the program works, go to: www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/OCE/library.html or call Arthur Clark in Educational Services, (919) 733-3226, ext. 102.

ESL Training Planned For Classroom Teachers
With the increasing number of DOP inmates whose first language is not English, the need for staff training in using English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching methods in the regular classroom has also grown. Accordingly, a one-day training session on "Integrating ESL into the Academic Classroom" will be conducted in three sites across the state for DOP educators starting next month. On June 23 in Raleigh, staff from Polk Youth Institution and NC Correctional Institution for Women will attend the training, which will be repeated on June 30 in Morganton for Foothills Correctional and Western Youth Institution personnel and then on July 21 at Morrison Youth Institution for MYI and Sandhills Youth Center teachers, administrators and other professional staff. The training will be prepared and delivered by Timothy Hart, ESL consultant-trainer, and will consist of an orientation to the characteristics of ESL students, an overview of their special needs as non-native learners, and on strategies and techniques for engaging them in regular academic subjects and classroom activities.

Phyllis Utley, Youth Offender Program Instructor, Subject of Newspaper Article
Phyllis Utley, employability skills instructor for the federally funded Youth Offender Program at Foothills Correctional Institution and Western Youth Institution, was the subject of an impressive article appearing in the April 23 issue of the Raleigh News & Observer in its "Work and Money" section. The article explains how Ms. Utley, a dedicated user of the internet, discovered a web site in search of applicants for position openings across the country which rewards persons such as Ms. Utley for recommending individuals who are ultimately employed. In addition to her teaching at FCI and WYI, Ms. Utley also works as a resident adviser at Montreat College, where she also endeavors to prepare students for successful employment. Mark Gupton, Coordinator of the Youth Offender Program, says that Ms. Utley, a former Ericsson Networks employee and an Economics graduate of Dartmouth College, is a highly creative, resourceful professional who has helped make the Youth Offender Program as successful as it is.

Pender CI Produces Educational Pamphlet
Pender Correctional Institution has produced an attractive pamphlet listing the various educational programs offered to inmates at the institution, including ABE and GED preparation, computer instruction, English as a Second Language, and Fatheread, as well as vocational programs in Light Construction, Marine and Diesel Mechanics, Masonry I, and Industrial Sewing. Pender CI also offers distance learning courses via the NC Information Highway, in addition to on-site enrichment classes in personal development, anger and stress management, ethics, and cognitive behavioral skills, among many others.

According to Bryan Wells, Program Director, the pamphlet will be used to orient newly arriving inmates to the facility’s program offerings as well as to inform inmates at other units about the array of programs offered at PCI, most of which are delivered by Cape Fear Community College. For a copy of the pamphlet and to learn about its uses, contact Wells at (910) 259-8735.

Graduation Held At Foothills Correctional Institution, NC Correctional Institution for Women and Eastern Correctional Institution
On May 5 at Foothills Correctional Institution, commencement ceremonies were held for 31 GED graduates in the presence of family and friends from throughout the state and from Virginia and New York State. The guest speaker was the Reverend Bob Shepherd, retired chaplain and minister, who in his remarks exhorted the graduates to remain "cool as a cucumber," which maintains an inner temperature ten degrees cooler than its exterior as long as it remains "connected to the vine."

Also on May 5 at NC Correctional Institution for Women, 82 students received certificates for successful completion of one or more programs, including: Computer Information Technology, Cosmetology, Food Service Technology, GED, Horticulture, Industrial Sewing, Manicurist Training, Small Business Development, Travel Agency Operations, and Upholstery. Dr. Neill McLeod, Vice President of Curriculum Services, Wake Technical Community College, was the commencement speaker.

And on May 11 at Eastern Correctional Institution, ECI and Lenoir Community College celebrated the institution’s 17^th annual commencement exercise, with Dr. Jane Young, Director of Educational Services, as speaker. Graduates were awarded degrees, diplomas or certificates in a variety of fields, including Liberal Arts and Science, Business Administration, Culinary Technology, Horticulture Technology, Human Resource Management, Small Business Administration, Information Systems Hardware and Software Applications, and Biblical Studies. Representing Lenoir CC, which conducts all education programs at ECI except for Biblical Studies which is offered through the Southern Baptist Convention, were Dr. Karin Pettit, LCC President; Dr. A. Brantley Briley, Vice President, and Mr. Jim MacNeill, Vice Chair of the College’s Board of Trustees.

Note: Submit news items for the bulletin's next issue by June 30 to A. Clark, DOP Educational Services, Fax: 919-715-5785 or e-mail: cal15@doc.state.nc.us.

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