More formerly incarcerated Hoosiers could soon get job training and credentials through new federal funding.
The U.S. Department of Labor awarded two grants each worth $5.1 million to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development and Keys2Work, RecycleForce and 2nd Chance Indiana.
The federal RESTART grants ā which stands for Reentry Employment in Skilled Trades, Advanced Manufacturing, Registered Apprenticeships, and Training ā will fund the agencyās and nonprofitsā efforts to provide training in skilled trades for people being released from prison or jail.
Indianapolis-based nonprofit Keys2Work is working with its sister organization RecycleForce, as well as 2nd Chance Indiana, to train formerly incarcerated people between the ages of 18 and 24.
That program, which Keys2Work is calling āDeveloping the Work Muscle,ā will provide training to 680 people over three years in seven counties, including Marion County. RecycleForce will provide employment in Indianapolis, and 2nd Chance Indiana will work in Tipton, Howard, Kosciusko, Dekalb, Elkhart and Noble counties.Ā
āWe’re going to show you how to work by asking you to work and giving you the grace to fail and to try again,ā said Gina Davis, Keys2Workās senior director, āin an environment where they are surrounded by peers and peer leaders who have been on the same journeys they are on.āĀ
In Indianapolis, RecycleForce provides transitional employment, meaning short-term paid work thatās designed to help people reentering society get the experience and skills needed for the workplace. The nonprofit uses whatās called the āABCā model ā any job, better job, career.
āWe have individuals that start in the āanyā job, but we’re able to place them in the better job with Keys2Work,ā said Tiana Johnson, RecycleForceās chief operating officer.
Through Keys2Work, employees can also get credentials, from entry-level safety certifications to hazardous waste management training.
While program length is flexible for each participant, most workers will spend about three months in transitional employment before moving on to another job or getting further training, Davis said.
āWe give people their full time, their full opportunity to spend as much time here as they want,ā Davis said. āIt’s very important that we’re always customizing a personās experience based upon their needs.ā
Keys2Work plans to start enrolling workers ā mostly through referrals from the Indiana Department of Corrections ā before Oct. 1.
While Keys2Workās grant will provide training to young people, the Indiana Department of Workforce Developmentās funding will support training, employment and apprenticeship opportunities for formerly incarcerated adults aged 25 and older.
The majority of the stateās grant ā about $4.3 million ā will be distributed to local workforce boards throughout Indiana, which will in turn run training programs and supportive services. In Indianapolis and Marion County, the workforce board is EmployIndy.
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Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire by email claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org, at 317-759-0249 or on most social media @clairerafford.
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