Workforce Development Solutions

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Correctional Reentry into Society:

Fiber Optic Training for Workforce Development

Incarceration for criminal behavior, especially those with extended sentences tend to alter the norm for what life is. Many inmates are eager to serve their sentences and exit the system. While well intended, their time away from traditional society norms can alter that trajectory. Some may have the willpower and determination to reassimilate and put themselves on a better path to avoid a return to incarcerated life. Even with that determination, many find that they have lost friends and family on the outside, are not properly skilled to reobtain employment, and find the reentry process to be a struggle that they were unprepared to take on. Many end up back in the system, either from reverting to bad habits or from intentionally committing a crime to go back in as the structured life that they had on the inside may appear easier and more desirable. Having to go about the process of being reintegrated into society is not something that they have to go about on their own.

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The Impact of Workforce Development Programs on Recidivism

Correctional workforce development reentry programs can be a big help. These programs aim to reskill the inmate during their time being served or upon release to teach them a valuable skill to land employment and a path to financial means to ease the struggle that may otherwise lead them back into the system. These reentry programs not only teach valuable skills, but also have other benefits such as reducing recidivism, eliminating barriers to reemployment, providing them with a means to economic stability, and promoting overall societal safety. Teaching an inmate how to look for employment and create a resume or fill out a job application is only part of the process. To properly set them up for success, it is imperative to teach them the skills required to obtain gainful and meaningful employment in a high demand field. There are many opportunities in trade and technical fields where those reentering society and the workforce can thrive. These include electrical, plumbing, HVAC, construction, and telecommunications. The latter is a high demand field spanning multiple disciplines such as telecom, datacom, data centers, utilities, co-ops, and electric providers to name a few. One highly demanded skill set within those disciplines is fiber optics.

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Light Brigade is the leader in fiber optics hands-on skills training. For over 35 years we have trained the best-of-the-best fiber optic technicians around the world, with the majority being business to business. Recently we have adapted some of our course offerings into turn-key workforce development and reentry programs. The skills learned in any of these offerings are transferable across any of the aforementioned disciplines, opening a wide array of opportunities for those transitioning from incarceration to gainful careers.

These fiber optic workforce development and reentry courses are able to be adopted into various reentry programs such as Reentry Employment Opportunities (REO), Partners for Reentry Opportunities in Workforce Development (PROWD) Initiative, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Urban Reentry Jobs program (URJP), as well as state and federal department of corrections reentry programs.

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