Deadline for Correctional Officer course approaches

Slots are still available for the Gulf Coast Community College Gulf correctional officer basic recruit class, which begins March 24.

The four-month course meets 40 hours a week at the Gulf/Franklin Center in Port St. Joe. 

Students will study defensive tactics, communications, emergency preparedness, first aid, interpersonal skills, correctional operations and legal topics and complete a comprehensive three-week firearms course.

Correctional officers who have passed their state certification exam may seek employment with state, county and private prisons and jails.

The Gulf Correctional Institution and annex, Franklin County prison and work camp and Bay County jail each employee hundreds of correctional officers, male and female.

Correctional officers begin at an annual salary of just over $30,800.

Officers earn three percent toward their retirement for each year worked. Thus, an officer who retires after 25 years of service (regardless of retirement age) will earn 75 percent of his or her salary.

Correctional officers also enjoy good health and dental benefits and are always in demand, said Clark Joyner, the assistant coordinator for the corrections program.

"There's a constant need for correctional officers. We've never closed a prison in the state of Florida once we've opened it," Joyner said.

The correctional officer basic recruit class will be limited to 25 students.  As of last Friday, 16 students had already registered.

The course costs around $2,000. Funding is available for deserving students in the form of pell grants, scholarships and student loans.

The Workforce Center, headquartered at the Gulf/Franklin Center, also offers a "cost-share" program.

The program provides money for books and tuition based on a student's income, work status and the center's budgetary constraints.

 According to Workforce Center director Andrew Rutherford, 14 of the 15 students currently enrolled in the current corrections course are receiving some form of Workforce assistance.

Students can also be hired as trainees for particular correctional institutions. Trainees are paid to attend school at a reduced biweekly salary of $1,077.20.

Applications are available at the Gulf/Franklin Center until the class's March 24 start date.

For more information, contact Clarke Joyner at 227-9670 x5511 or Brenda Burkett at 227-9670 x5507. Andrew Rutherford, with the Work Force Center, may be reached at 227-9670 x5504.