Article Summary –
Governor Roy Cooper announced today that a partnership in Pitt County has been awarded a $125,000 grant to tackle reentry workforce challenges through the “Keeping It REEL” program. This initiative, part of the NCWorks Local Innovation Fund under the NC Job Ready initiative, aims to train formerly incarcerated individuals for new careers and entrepreneurship. Over two years, participants will receive life skills, occupational training, and up to 480 hours of paid work experience. They will also get training in business plan development, aligning with North Carolina’s “Reentry2030” goals. Key partners include the Rivers East Workforce Development Board, local NCWorks Career Centers, Pitt Community College, and East Carolina University’s Crisp Small Business Resource Center. The grant underscores the state’s commitment to innovative workforce programs and supporting entrepreneurial aspirations to strengthen the economy.
A partnership in the Pitt County area has been awarded a competitive grant of $125,000 to support an innovative effort aimed at addressing reentry workforce challenges, as announced by Governor Roy Cooper today.
The grant recipient, “Keeping It REEL” (Re-Entry Entrepreneurship and work-based Learning), will focus on training individuals who were formerly incarcerated to pursue new careers and potentially start their own businesses. The two-year implementation grant is part of the NCWorks Local Innovation Fund, established by Governor Cooper as a component of his NC Job Ready initiative to equip North Carolina’s workforce for current and future job demands.
“Keeping it REEL” will offer a comprehensive program combining life skills, occupational skills, entrepreneurship training, work-based learning, coaching, and mentoring. Participants will have the opportunity to gain up to 480 hours of paid work experience at participating employers, similar to an internship, providing them with valuable experience and income. Additionally, individuals will receive training on entrepreneurship and business plan development, empowering them to create their own opportunities and potentially become employers offering second chances to others with justice system involvement.
The initiative aligns with North Carolina’s “Reentry2030” goals, as outlined in Governor Cooper’s Executive Order No. 303 earlier this year, which aims to increase the number of second-chance employers in the state. Partners in “Keeping it REEL” include Rivers East Workforce Development Board, local NCWorks Career Centers, Pitt County Reentry Council, Pitt Community College, the East Carolina University Crisp Small Business Resource Center, and NC IDEA.
The Local Innovation Fund, managed by the NCWorks Commission and administered by the Division of Workforce Solutions within the N.C. Department of Commerce, supports innovative workforce programs across the state. N.C. Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders emphasized the importance of investing in North Carolinians and supporting their entrepreneurial aspirations to bolster the state’s economy.
Governor Cooper’s NC Job Ready initiative focuses on skills and education attainment, employer leadership, and local innovation to ensure North Carolinians are prepared for both current and future job opportunities. The Local Innovation Fund grants contribute to North Carolina’s First in Talent Plan, designed to prepare workers for success, businesses for growth, and communities for competitiveness.
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