January 2026
On January 15, state leaders in workforce development, education, and corrections from each of the Reentry 2030 states gathered for the fourth session of the Reentry 2030 Workforce Development Peer Learning Cohort to explore prison job training models that successfully align corrections, employers, and education providers to create pathways to sustainable jobs for people who were formerly incarcerated.
Participants were joined by officials from Alabama, Michigan, and Missouri who provided an inside look at their innovative programming and discussed how other states can leverage similar approaches to maximize reentry employment opportunities in today’s job market.
Trends in Job Training
In recent years, states have significantly increased investments in correctional vocational programs and career and technical education (CTE) programs in prisons, which is unsurprising given research showing that such programming contributes to reduced recidivism while providing states with substantial dollar-for-dollar returns on investment.
Along with that growth in investment has come an expansion of the scope and variety of programming and a better understanding of the strategies that best promote employment after incarceration. Those strategies include the following:
- Providing industry-recognized “stackable” credentials that serve as direct entry points to a variety of in-demand fields—including technology, manufacturing, logistics, construction, and health care—and can be built upon to propel progress along career pathways
- Moving from classroom training to experienced-based models that allow participants to develop and practice skills under real-world job conditions
- Tailoring programming to regional job markets to prepare workers for high-demand, high-wage jobs in their community
- Providing individualized guidance to help workers identify programming in high-opportunity fields that are aligned with their existing skill sets and interests
- Engaging employers to ensure that training and credentialing aligns with real-world demands while securing direct pre-release hiring pathways
- Developing soft skills like professionalism, problem-solving, and communication that employers prioritize for job retention and advancement
Implementing these strategies requires a whole-of-government approach, and states are developing and growing integrated job training ecosystems that link corrections, education, and labor agencies with private industry and community supports to ensure that programming promotes real-world opportunity and long-term success.
Learning from Successful Program Models
During the session, leaders from Alabama, Arizona, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, and Washington explored how states are implementing these integrated programming strategies through the perspective of corrections and workforce officials who are involved in steering three forward-looking program models:
Michigan’s Vocational Village: Dean McGregor, assistant education manager at the Michigan Department of Corrections, described the state’s Vocational Village model, a highly selective, immersive program where participants live and work together in an environment that mirrors a standard 40-hour work week. By focusing on trades with high labor demand and integrating on-site licensing with state agencies, Michigan has created a scalable system that provides top-to-bottom preparation for the workforce. The program’s success hinges on its prosocial housing units and a curriculum that leads to nationally recognized certifications while mimicking the demands and routine of real-world work conditions.
Missouri’s Aspire MO 2.0: Kellie Ann Coats, executive director of the Missouri Women’s Council, shared the successes of Aspire MO 2.0, a partnership between the Departments of Economic Development and Corrections that leverages real-world work environments to prepare the women’s correctional population for manufacturing, warehouse, and supply-chain jobs. In its proof-of-concept period, participants had a recidivism rate of nearly 0%. Beyond providing training and stackable technical credentials, the model provides a continuum of care that pairs intensive cognitive restructuring (a fast-paced technique that helps people spot and replace harmful thought patterns with healthier ones) with immediate post-release peer support. This holistic approach ensures that women transitioning home have both the portable professional skills and the personal support network necessary for long-term success.
Alabama’s PREP Center: LaShanda Hails, associate dean of faculty development and institutional effectiveness at JF Ingram State Technical College in Alabama, discussed the partnership between Ingram State Technical College (ISTC) and the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles, which focuses on bridging the gap between incarceration and the community. A cornerstone of this model is the Perry County PREP Center, a 90-day post-release residential program that has maintained low recidivism rates by combining intensive mental health and substance use treatment with CTE and soft-skills training. By extending services to non-residential Day Reporting Centers and leveraging industry partnerships with companies like Alabama Power, ISTC helps graduates earn stackable, high-wage credentials in fields like welding and utility tree trimming while providing rapid broadly applicable credentials for workers in less intensive post-release programs.
What’s Next
The Reentry 2030 Workforce Development Peer Learning Cohort is a year-long opportunity for states that have joined, or are preparing to join, the national Reentry 2030 initiative to learn from one another, collaborate across systems, and strategize and build a shared vision for expanding economic opportunity for people impacted by the justice system. In the remaining session, participating states will turn their attention to the following:
- Expanding the field of fair chance employers and establishing training-to-employment pathways in partnership with program providers and employers
- Using data to track and improve employment and wage outcomes for formerly incarcerated people
Learn more about Reentry 2030—and why your state should join.