Three programs supported through the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) are addressing employment, child care and recidivism by way of Alabama’s community and technical colleges.
The Alabama DHR Summer Youth Employment Program, Child Care Training program and Transition to Employment program aims to increase Alabama’s labor force participation and reduce residents’ dependency on state financial assistance programs.
The Summer Youth Employment program allows colleges within the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) to employ current, past and prospective students ages 16 to 24 for summer employment and on-the-job training opportunities. The program specifically aims to provide skill development opportunities for students in families whose income level is at or below 200% of the poverty level.
The Child Care Training program through Alabama’s Adult Education Division at ACCS provides citizens who are interested in working in child care with the core skills they need to compete for livable wage careers within child care.
The newest program, the Transition to Employment program, connects citizens who were previously incarcerated to sustainable wage jobs through a network of employers. Those employers are incentivized to give the employees a chance to use the credentials they earned through Ingram State Technical College, the state’s sole provider for prison education.
“DHR’s goal is to support residents in need to find opportunities and training allowing them to break the cycle of dependency and change the direction of their lives,” said Alabama DHR Commissioner Nancy Buckner in a statement. "We could not accomplish this goal without a partner in the Alabama Community College System, which allows us to bring together academic and workforce education to help Alabamians have a strong foundation for their future."
Read more about the Alabama DHR Summer Youth Employment Program, Child Care Training program and Transition to Employment program here.
