Scaling Pathways to the Workforce

The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) proposes to create workforce pathways for currently incarcerated and previously justice-involved Rhode Islanders. CCRI proposes to work with partners to design and implement a multi-year strategy to support the addition of several programs, delineated in this proposal, in Rhode Island. The initiative will create increased opportunities for employment for justice-involved Rhode Islanders. The proposed outcome will be to build employment-focused education that advances equitable economic opportunity for incarcerated Rhode Islanders. 

This project will build upon current work, a 20-year partnership between CCRI and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (DOC). Rhode Island is a national leader in higher education for justice-involved individuals. To date, CCRI has awarded 110 associates degrees and 14 certificates in business administration to justice-involved individuals while incarcerated through CCRI’s formal partnership with DOC.   

In 2022, CCRI trained more than 4,000 Rhode Islanders in workforce programs directly tied to labor market needs and in partnership with RI employers. There is an opportunity to provide workforce programs to justice-involved individuals, making students a part of the workforce and minimizing their risk of recidivism. 

CCRI has also established a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Manufacturing Program, providing in-demand vocational training, and academic credits leading to a certificate and degree. CCRI is partnering with DOC, RI Manufacturer’s Association, RI Department of Labor and Training, Governor’s Workforce Board, and Polaris MEP, to support justice-involved Rhode Islanders. CCRI has a proven track record with Workforce Partnerships and is well-positioned to provide in-demand and responsive programming to meet the unique needs of the justice-involved student population through DOC programming. 

To build on the current models in place, this project will complete objectives in the support of a collective-impact model that reduces barriers to employment: 

Identify and project academic and career pathways that produce in-demand hiring for the justice-involved population that lead to opportunities for gainful employment upon release (pathways to be provided both within the RI DOC’s facilities and/or offered on-campus post-release.) 

Design a collective impact model that reduces barriers to employment through the creation of a supportive services model. 

Research effective employer models that create and sustain successful employment partnerships serving the justice-involved population.  

Organize data collection needs to support tracking of post release employment outcomes while creating an evidence base for expansion and replication of effective practices to spark sustainable, systemic improvement that create equitable opportunities for education and workforce training beyond a high school credential.