NC receives $4 million grant for workforce renentry training
On Tuesday, Gov. Josh Stein’s office announced that North Carolina received a $4 million grant for workforce reentry training for incarcerated individuals.
“When we prepare people leaving incarceration for success in the workforce, we all benefit,” said Stein in a press release. “With support from this new grant, North Carolina can continue to build a strong workforce, improve reentry outcomes, and provide people with real opportunities for a second chance.”
This funding is part of the $52 million in grant funding from the US Department of Labor’s Pathway Home grant program, which was announced in February. The funding goes towards organizations that provide reentry services to incarcerated individuals before their release from state correctional facilities or county and local jails.
Authorized under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, Pathway Home grants enable organizations to partner with employers to provide participants with training and industry-recognized credentials, helping them successfully transition into the workforce and their communities.
“Congratulations — a nice press release for the politicians,” Brian Hamilton, founder of Inmates to Entrepreneurs, told the Carolina Journal. “As far as I’m concerned, this is $4M more added to the federal debt. The challenge is not a lack of skills — it is that judicially involved people are being habitually locked out of the hiring system because companies screen through Google for even smaller ‘crimes,’ such as a failure to appear.”
The Division of Workforce Solutions (DWS) at the North Carolina Department of Commerce, serving as the lead grant recipient, will oversee the “North Carolina Pathway to Reentry” project. DWS will partner with three local Workforce Development Boards (WDBs) — Charlotte Works, Foothills WDB, and Western Piedmont WDB. The NC Department of Adult Correction will also collaborate with these partners to support the initiative.
The grant will fund a comprehensive program to help people leaving prison rebuild their lives and rejoin the workforce. The initiative will offer support before and after release and long-term follow-up to keep participants on track. Inside correctional facilities, participants will participate in workshops, small-group and one-on-one sessions, career counseling, and job training designed to prepare them for life outside.
Within the first 72 hours of release, the program will connect participants to community resources, help them set goals, develop action plans, and match them with education and training opportunities. Through the NCWorks system, they’ll also be linked to apprenticeships and work-based learning with “second-chance” employers. For up to 24 months, participants will receive wraparound services to address ongoing needs and monthly check-ins to assess progress in training, employment, and other areas of stability.
“Our fast-growing economy needs skilled workers, and this grant helps us fill that need by providing reentry services to jobseekers who are ready to take the next step in their lives,” said NC Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley in a press release. “This project will also help us in our efforts to meet several goals recently set out by the Governor’s Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships, which include increasing participation in work-based learning.”
The workforce system partners plan to serve individuals incarcerated at several facilities, including Alexander Correctional Institution, Caldwell Correctional Center, Catawba Correctional Center, Foothills Correctional Institution, Gaston Correctional Center, Marion Correctional Institution, Mecklenburg County Detention Center, and Rutherford Correctional Center.
“Until there is real reform in expunging someone’s record after a credible amount of time, there are few second chances in America as we know it,” continued Hamilton. “Meanwhile, if you commit a crime, start a small business so your offense does not follow you around in perpetuity.”
“NC receives $4 million grant for workforce renentry training” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.
