To ensure that programming corresponds as specifically as possible to the needs of both the community labor market and people in prison or jail, corrections program managers should design and develop job skills programs that are consistent with current analyses of the labor needs of the communities to which those people will be returning. To that end, corrections administrators should partner with community employers, One-Stops, or other community-based employment service providers to audit current programming and ensure that market-responsive programs replace those that provide no benefit based on job market research.

Example: Release Preparation, Federal Bureau of Prisons

The Federal Bureau of Prisons provides a wide range of occupational training programs that give prisoners the opportunity to obtain marketable skills. Course offerings are based on general labor market conditions, institution labor force needs, and vocational training needs of inmates. In addition, many institutions have established apprenticeship programs in areas of particular skill development.

Policymakers and corrections administrators should also consider assembling an advisory group representing local employers, economic development agencies, Workforce Investment Boards, One-Stops, educational institutions, and targeted community-based organizations. Such an advisory group could use its familiarity with the local job market to provide helpful input on correctional programs to ensure that participants obtain the skills that they would need to learn so that they can find employment in that particular market when they re-enter. For example, local employers and employment agencies could inform the corrections administrators of the credentials required to obtain employment in a particular field, and then help to create institutional training programs that award the appropriate certification to program participants.

Corrections program planners and workforce partners should review existing vocational and related course offerings every 12 to 18 months to ensure that they are not only relevant in the current job market, but also up-to-date with advances in technology and methodology. In addition to keeping the programs current, this review can also serve to renew the partnership between corrections administrators and staff and community-based workforce developers and employers. Corrections officials should then assign researchers to evaluate the efficacy of any new training programs by tracking the number of people who enter jobs after release, the types of jobs they enter, and other performance benchmarks. (See Policy Statement 6, Measuring Outcomes and Evaluating the Impact of a Re-Entry Initiative.) Corrections officials can therefore ensure that coursework and vocational offerings are consistent with both the job market and the skills of individuals released from their institutions.

Example: Welding Program, Louisiana Department of Corrections and Avondale Shipyards

The welding curriculum at Hunt Correctional Facility is closely based on the technical training curriculum at the area's largest employer, Avondale Shipyards, with the result that people who are successful in the program become strong candidates for job openings at the shipyards upon release. Northrop Grummond, which operates the shipyards, actively recruits job candidates from Hunt, visiting the facility to conduct skills assessments prior to their release.