“We appreciate their services and their commitment to helping us,” says Scott Middlebrooks, warden of the Graceville Correctional Facility in Graceville, FL.

The Graceville Correctional Facility has established a partnership with the Florida Panhandle Technical College in nearby Chipley. Greg Hutching is the Public Safety Director at the college.

“We enjoy a great partnership with MTC; they are part of our advisory committee group. We also participate in the quarterly meetings that MTC Graceville has, their community outreach meetings. We work hand-in-glove. [We work] really well together.”

The college provides training classes to staff members of the facility in an effort to put new hires to work immediately. Warden Scott Middlebrooks approached the college about training new cadets who cannot work at the facility until their background checks come through, thus allowing them to earn pay while they wait.

“It’s a very smart idea the warden approached us with,” says Greg. “We were more than eager to help with that because it makes sense. Our job is to help get them the best trained people we can, and the way to do that is to keep the best people you can here in order to make it to the training session.”

“We’re certainly very, very appreciative of Greg Hutching, Scott Marcelle, and Dr. Moore who are over the Panhandle College,” explains Warden Middlebrooks. “Every time we’ve reached out to them in need of something, they’ve been more than willing to help us. Anything we need, they’re there for us.”

“We couldn’t ask for a better partnership and a better relationship,” Greg states. “We look forward to many, many more years to come.”