Piedmont Triad Initiative Earns Grant to Bolster Workforce Reentry Efforts
A groundbreaking initiative in North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad has been awarded a $125,000 grant aimed at tackling the challenges faced by individuals reentering the workforce after interacting with the justice system. This effort is part of a wider project to enhance employment opportunities for justice-involved individuals and promote inclusive hiring practices among local employers.
The recipient of this competitive grant, the Piedmont Triad Regional Workforce Development Board’s Reentry Empowerment and Workforce Integration (REWI) Initiative, is focused on expanding career navigation services across the region. Governor Roy Cooper announced the grant, which stems from the NCWorks Local Innovation Fund, a component of his NC Job Ready initiative designed to prepare North Carolina’s workforce for current and future job markets.
“Helping people who have completed their sentences is not only the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do,” Governor Cooper stated. “I applaud this partnership for their innovative approach to enhancing the reentry transition process, so that our fellow North Carolinians can receive support, our businesses can find good workers, and our communities can be safer.”
The REWI Initiative intends to equip staff at NCWorks Career Centers and other community agencies with training to better understand and integrate services for individuals facing educational and employment hurdles due to past criminal records. This initiative aligns with North Carolina’s “Reentry2030” goals, outlined earlier this year by Governor Cooper in Executive Order No. 303, which includes increasing the number of “second chance” employers.
Spanning Forsyth, Davie, Surry, Stokes, Rockingham, Yadkin, Caswell, Davidson, Alamance, and Randolph counties, the Piedmont Triad Regional WDB will collaborate with local partners, including workforce boards and reentry councils in Alamance and Forsyth counties, to achieve these goals.
The funding is part of the NCWorks Commission’s Local Innovation Fund, supported by the Division of Workforce Solutions within the N.C. Department of Commerce. According to N.C. Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders, “When we empower people who have had justice system involvement to reenter the workforce, we contribute to building a state that is ‘First in Talent.’ We are excited to see this grant join other innovative workforce programs across North Carolina that are bringing together diverse partners and employers.”
This initiative reflects Governor Cooper’s NC Job Ready workforce strategy, which emphasizes skills and educational attainment, employer leadership, and local innovation to apply successful ideas on a broader scale. The Local Innovation Fund supports the First in Talent Plan, which focuses on preparing the workforce for successful careers, helping businesses grow by attracting talent, and enhancing community competitiveness.
The 37-member NCWorks Commission, comprising business leaders, state workforce agency heads, educators, and community leaders, provides strategic recommendations to ensure North Carolina’s workforce and businesses thrive in a global economy. The State Fiscal Recovery Fund, part of the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), finances the Local Innovation grant, aiming to mitigate the pandemic’s economic impact and promote equitable recovery in North Carolina.
For further details, visit www.commerce.nc.gov/local-innovation.
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