Editor’s note: In recognition of Career Technical Education Month, the Telegraph will present a series of stories on North Florida Technical College.
BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Terry Arthur has such a passion for passing on his knowledge to others that he only hesitated briefly when considering a job doing so within the confines of a prison.
Arthur teaches an HVAC program at Florida State Prison as part of a contract between the prison and North Florida Technical College. He currently teaches 19 students during the program’s morning session (7:30-10:30) and 14 students in the afternoon session (11:30-2:30).
“I look forward to it,” Arthur said, adding, “One of the things I really like about this program is that I’m able to teach people of all different nationalities and from all walks of life. One of the things that has really inspired me is that I feel like I’ve really been able to get some people interested in this trade who probably never would have entered into it (otherwise).”
North Florida Technical College Director Brad Bishop said he attended a conference in which he and other career technical school personnel talked with Florida Department of Corrections personnel. Like career technical schools, the Department of Corrections also receives federal Perkins money for career technical education.
“At the time, there was a big push for providing career technical education for inmates in hopes of reducing recidivism,” Bishop said. “The thought was if they come out of the prison system with a credential or a certification within a specific trade that they would be less likely to go back to prison.”
Bishop said since then, several career technical education schools throughout the state have partnered with DOC, providing education for inmates who are within a year and a half to two years of being released. North Florida Technical College entered into a contract with the prison system in 2018.
Arthur said when he interviewed for an NFTC teaching position, he didn’t know that it would be teaching at FSP.
“That took me a minute to think over, but my desire to teach and pass on some of the things I know basically overcame that,” he said. “A lot of these people really, really need a second chance. If nobody wants to get out there and put themselves in these types of situations, then nothing will ever get done.”
Take the prison setting away. What Arthur is left with is a group of students who want to learn from their teacher, just as if he was teaching HVAC on the NFTC campus.
“Some of these guys are about to get out of there,” Arthur said. “They’re not looking to get into trouble or make more problems from themselves. They want to complete the program. They’re very respectful.
“A person really shouldn’t be afraid to do something like this because you’re probably the safest person on the compound, really.”
When Arthur begins teaching a new course, the starting point is always safety. At the completion of the program, students will have 10 hours of OSHA-authorized training.
“We do an introduction to the tools, where they basically get to see them and hold them,” Arthur said. “They inspect them to make sure they’re safe to use. Sometimes I’ll intentionally do something to something to make it unusable, just so that when they see something like that, they’re like, ‘This is not usable.’”
Arthur said the course is just the starting point of learning the trade, which will continue on the job.
“With this type of training, they’re going to be able to enter into the workforce as an apprentice,” Arthur said. “Of course, there’ll be a lot of on-the-job training for them at that point. From me being in the industry for over 20 years, it always starts with working with someone who has the heart of a teacher and will pass that information down.
“My hope is that through learning the terminology and basic tool usage, they will be able to hone those skills under a good technician who will teach them the right way to do things.”
Bishop said NFTC has received transcript requests from some of the students who’ve already gone through the program who are looking to further their education and earn more certifications.
Arthur said some of his students begin taking the course knowing from the start they want to pursue a career that utilizes HVAC skills. He also had a student who wasn’t interested in an HVAC career, but did want to learn the skills because his goal was to flip houses when he got out of prison.
“He thought it was a good idea to have some knowledge in this kind of thing,” Arthur said.
Some students have no idea about HVAC at all, and the course proves to be an enlightening one that introduces them to a possible career in which there is a demand for workers.
“They’re looking for an opportunity,” Arthur said. “They see these types of classes come around, and they’re like, ‘Hey. This might be it. I might be able to go in there and really enjoy doing this. I might be able to be successful with it.’”
That’s what career technical education is all about, whether it’s on a school campus or in a prison — providing someone with a skill to better their life.
Arthur said NFTC does an excellent job of that.
“I think the courses that are being offered here are very practical,” Arthur said, adding, “I can’t think of a single program (at NFTC) that somebody wouldn’t really benefit from. I feel like the school and the staff are second to none.”
