College will provide technical training and industry-recognized credentials for justice-involved individuals entering Alabama’s Gulf Coast workforce
J.F. Ingram State Technical College joined state workforce and reentry partners Sept. 10 at the Mobile Day Reporting Center to celebrate a nearly $4 million federal investment in workforce training and successful reentry.
During a ceremonial check presentation, representatives recognized the Alabama RESTART Initiative and the partnership behind its effort to connect justice-involved individuals with training and employment in Alabama’s growing maritime, shipbuilding and advanced manufacturing industries.
The U.S. Department of Labor awarded $3,999,999 to the Alabama Department of Workforce through the Reentry Employment in Skilled Trades, Advanced Manufacturing, Registered Apprenticeships and Training program. Ingram State has been allocated $797,444 to provide technical training, industry-recognized credentials and employment preparation.
“This initiative addresses two important needs facing our state,” Ingram State President David Walters said. “Alabama employers need trained, dependable workers, and justice-involved individuals need opportunities to develop marketable skills and build stable careers. Ingram State is proud to provide the education and technical training that will help connect those needs.”
Ingram State will provide training at the Perry County PREP Center and through Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles Day Reporting Centers in Mobile and Baldwin counties. Instructors and mobile training equipment will allow the college to bring hands-on technical education directly to participants.
Training will focus primarily on skills needed in shipbuilding, maritime trades and advanced manufacturing. Anticipated areas include structural welding, pipefitting and shipfitting, marine electrical, machining and CNC operations, industrial maintenance, painting and surface preparation, and OSHA maritime safety.
Many of the skills and credentials can also prepare participants for opportunities in aerospace, automotive manufacturing, offshore energy and industrial construction.
“Our goal is not simply to help someone complete a training program,” Walters said. “Our goal is to help that individual turn training into a career and build a more stable future.”
More than $14 billion in new and expanding capital investment along Alabama’s Gulf Coast is increasing demand for welders, pipefitters, shipfitters, electricians, machinists and other skilled workers. At the same time, individuals returning to their communities after incarceration frequently face barriers to employment.
The RESTART Initiative is designed to address both challenges by aligning training with employer needs and connecting participants with workforce services, career opportunities and continued support.
The 42-month initiative is expected to enroll 550 adults age 25 and older who were recently released from Alabama correctional facilities and are under active ABPP supervision through probation, parole or mandatory release. Veterans and eligible spouses will receive priority.
The Alabama Department of Workforce and ABPP led the development of the initiative. Additional partners include Ingram State, the Southwest Alabama Partnership for Training and Employment and the Council of State Governments Justice Center.
Each organization will contribute its expertise to the initiative. ADOW will oversee grant administration and workforce coordination. ABPP will identify and support eligible participants through the PREP Center and Day Reporting Centers. SWAPTE will assist with case management, on-the-job training and employer connections, while the CSG Justice Center will provide data analysis and technical assistance.
“This partnership not only builds a new talent pipeline for critical industries in our state, but it provides a path to stability for those who are reentering society after prison or probation,” ABPP Director Cam Ward said. “That opportunity is essential to public safety because one of the key drivers of recidivism and crime comes from lack of employment.”
The partnership will track credential attainment, employment, earnings, job retention, registered apprenticeship enrollment and recidivism. The long-term goal is to establish a sustainable pathway connecting community supervision, workforce education and employment.
“This investment represents an opportunity to change lives while helping Alabama employers meet their workforce needs,” Walters said. “We appreciate the confidence placed in Ingram State, and we are ready to work alongside our partners to produce meaningful, measurable results.”
The Alabama RESTART Initiative is 100% funded by a $3,999,999 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. Zero percent, or $0, is funded by nongovernmental sources.