The Governor’s Office of Workforce Development recently announced the allocation of more than $107,000 in grant funding for offender training in six Local Workforce Investment Areas across the state.
The five pilot areas with re-entry training programs include Southwest Georgia, West Central Georgia, Coastal Georgia, DeKalb and Atlanta.
“Offenders re-entering the civilian workforce face real hurdles when searching for a job,” GOWD Executive Director Ben Hames said in a news release. “With a vision to target this population through strong training, these local areas are equipping citizens with the tools they need to overcome those employment barriers and regain their place in the workforce.”  
Detailed in the grant agreements, each local area has selected 10-15 offenders to participate in the program through the individual’s local Transitional Center. The job-specific training will vary based upon labor demands in the local area.  
According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice, nearly 700,000 people are released from state and federal prison each year, and more than two-thirds of state prisoners are re-arrested within three years of their releases. According to the news release, the GOWD program will attempt to disrupt this pattern “by ensuring that citizens have a meaningful chance to start over after incarceration.”