Reentry Projects Grant Evaluation - Advancing Employment Opportunities for Justice-Involved Individuals through Work-Based Learning: Experiences from Reentry Project Grantees Issue Brief
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About the Brief
The brief draws on a variety of sources, including survey responses from 89 Reentry Project (RP) grantees, interviews with RP program staff and partner organizations from 27 sites, interviews with 37 RP participants, interviews with 41 employers, and national workforce data from the Workforce Integrated Performance System (WIPS) all with the aim of describing the types of work-based learning (WBL) provided to RP participants, RP programs’ experiences in offering WBL opportunities to justice-involved individuals, and some lessons learned from offering WBL to the reentry population. The “Experiences with WBL for justice-involved individuals and employers” section of this brief provides insights into the value of offering WBL opportunities for justice-involved individuals and businesses.
Key Takeaways
- Most (23 of 27) sites included in the study offered access to paid and/or unpaid WBL opportunities, providing those services directly through their RP programs or through referrals to partner organizations such as American Job Centers (AJC), unions, community colleges, etc.
- WBL offered justice-involved individuals opportunities to earn an income while engaging in training, building their workplace skills, and gaining real-world experience. It also served as a conduit for employers to gain familiarity with and comfort in hiring justice-involved individuals.
- Future programs could benefit from providing additional support, including supportive services, ongoing case management, and mentoring, to encourage participation and completion of WBL opportunities for justice-involved individuals.
Citation
Khemani, D., Cadena-Igdalsky, L. (2022). Social Policy Research. Advancing Employment Opportunities for Justice-Involved Individuals through Work-Based Learning: Experiences from Reentry Project Grantees. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.
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The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy and CEO’s research development process.