A partnership in the Piedmont Triad is the winner of a competitive grant totaling $125,000 to support an innovative effort addressing reentry workforce challenges, Governor Roy Cooper announced today.
The grant recipient, Piedmont Triad Regional Workforce Development Board’s Reentry Empowerment and Workforce Integration (REWI) Initiative, seeks to strengthen the region’s network of career navigation services for the justice-involved population, while also raising awareness among employers about the positive impact of inclusive hiring practices. This two-year implementation grant comes from the NCWorks Local Innovation Fund, which Governor Cooper established as part of his NC Job Ready initiative to prepare North Carolina’s workforce for the jobs of today and tomorrow.
“Helping people who have completed their sentences is not only the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do,” Governor Cooper said. “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.”
Through REWI, Piedmont Triad Regional WDB plans to provide training for staff at NCWorks Career Centers and other community agencies to enhance professionals’ understanding of how various programs and services can work together to meet the needs of people whose past criminal records create barriers to education and employment. The initiative will also promote coordination and connectivity among partners, share best practices, and engage with local employers. Increasing the number of “second chance” employers is among North Carolina’s “Reentry2030” initiative goals, which Governor Cooper announced in his Executive Order No. 303 earlier this year.
Piedmont Triad Regional WDB serves Forsyth, Davie, Surry, Stokes, Rockingham, Yadkin, Caswell, Davidson, Alamance and Randolph counties.
Partners in REWI will include the local workforce board, the local NCWorks Career Centers, and the local reentry councils in Alamance and Forsyth counties.
The Local Innovation Fund is an initiative of the NCWorks Commission, the state workforce development board, while the Division of Workforce Solutions within the N.C. Department of Commerce helps administer the fund.
“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,’” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders, who is also a member of the NCWorks Commission. “We are excited to see this grant join other innovative workforce programs across North Carolina that are bringing together diverse partners and employers.”
Governor Cooper’s NC Job Ready workforce initiative is built on three core principles: skills and education attainment so North Carolinians are ready for jobs available now and in the future, employer leadership to remain relevant to evolving industry needs, and local innovation to take great ideas and apply them statewide.
Local Innovation Fund grants support North Carolina’s First in Talent Plan, which seeks to prepare workers for career and entrepreneurial success, prepare businesses for success by growing and attracting a talented workforce, and prepare communities to be more competitive. The NCWorks Commission’s strategic plan also includes a goal of promoting the replication of creative solutions by supporting local innovation.
The 37-member NCWorks Commission includes representatives from the business community, heads of state workforce agencies, educators and community leaders. The Commission, which is designated as the state’s Workforce Development Board under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, recommends policies and strategies to enable the state’s workforce and businesses to compete in the global economy.
The source of funding for this new Local Innovation grant is the State Fiscal Recovery Fund (SFRF), a component of the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) which provided $5.4 billion to North Carolina to help turn the tide on the pandemic, address its economic fallout, and lay the foundation for a strong and equitable recovery.
For more information, visit www.commerce.nc.gov/local-innovation.