PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A $3 million federal grant will help smooth the way for Pennsylvania youth who’ve been in the criminal justice system.
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry said the grant will fund the RESTART program, which offers job training and apprenticeships for justice-involved youth in four counties, including Philadelphia and Montgomery.
The city’s workforce development board, Philadelphia Works, will get $851,000 to prepare 115 young adults for careers. Pat Clancy, the president and CEO, said those young people transitioning out of incarceration will be prepared for jobs in high-demand industries, such as welding, health care and IT.
“We actually start the services while they’re incarcerated and that same type of training will follow them once they’re released,” he explained, “so it’s not a restart and we continue to work with them in that same training program so there’s no disruption of service, of activity.”
The program covers incidentals such as transportation and child care, creating conditions for success. “We’re really, really confident individuals will be able to connect to those high-paying industries,” he said.
Clancy said employers need these workers. Shipbuilder Hanwha, for instance, is looking for 2,000 welders at the Philly Shipyard, while Penn Medicine needs health care support throughout its system.
“We’re trying to put these young people into avenues of success,” he said. “The unique thing about this program is we get to stay with them, wrap-around services, give them the case management that they need so there’s no drop off and hopefully no disconnection.”
Montgomery County will serve 60 young people. Lancaster and Allegheny counties are also participating.
