The 2024 Talent Study conducted by the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte projects a critical need for 4 million manufacturing jobs by 2030, highlighting a potential shortfall of 2.1 million positions. Recognizing the untapped potential of justice-involved individuals, employers are increasingly receptive to hiring from this pool of talent. In response, Departments of Corrections (DOC) and local jails across the country are proactively equipped individuals in their custody with the skills and opportunities necessary to secure career-pathway jobs in the manufacturing sector. Through strategic partnerships with employers, colleges, and community-based organizations, correctional agencies are offering tailored job training programs in high-demand industries, with the aim of reducing recidivism rates.
Successful reintegration depends on many factors, including cognitive and behavioral skills, substance use, mental and physical health, as well as housing, employment, and family bonds as individuals return to their communities and families. Vocational training stands out as one of the most crucial educational and rehabilitative programs that prisons and jails can provide, offering justice-involved individuals the skills necessary for a trade and the opportunity to earn a sustainable income.
2C Workforce Solutions and parent company, ViaPath Technologies, are in the forefront of this work. 2C Workforce Solutions offers justice-involved individuals the support needed to find and keep a living wage job. The ViaPath Vocational Package takes a holistic approach to reintegration, with a particular emphasis on employment. It offers various components to support incarcerated individuals as they prepare for release. Using the ViaPath tablets in their facilities, they can access comprehensive education and vocational content, including Tooling U-SME vocational learning pathways customized for regional or state level demand. These ViaPath offerings are tailored into a turnkey solution to effectively prepare returning citizens for current job opportunities.
The ViaPath Vocational Package offers three distinct approaches: Learning Pathways, Learning Pathways Internal Apprenticeships, and Learning Pathways External Apprenticeships. The Learning Pathways approach grants access to Tooling U-SME learning pathways via ViaPath tablets, enabling self-paced learning and stackable certifications such as Certified Manufacturing Associate (CMfgA) and EV Production Technician. External Apprenticeships can be tailored to local employment opportunities, leveraging data to identify and nurture second chance hiring partnerships. Similarly, internal Apprenticeships cater to internal needs within correctional facilities, with an eye towards post-release employment prospects in areas such as help desk support, maintenance, and more.
This tailored approach ensures that justice-involved individuals are equipped with the skills and opportunities needed for successful reintegration into society. Our goal is to empower organizations to effectively support the reintegration of justice-involved individuals into the workforce, contributing to their successful transition back into society.