The most recent (and largest to date) cohort of 12 Future Fit graduates received their certification on April 11. The Little Rock Workforce Development Board‘s (LRWDB) Executive Director, W. J. Monagle, was a featured speaker at the graduation ceremony.
Overall, 50 participants have graduated from Future Fit, a 96-hour program where participants are instructed by University of Arkansas Pulaski Technical College staff while still incarcerated at the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility. The Future Fit program was developed by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission in partnership with local manufacturers. Future Fit equips participants with skills such as understanding blueprints, machine operations, safety and OSHA certifications and interpersonal skills.
FutureFit is offered as part of the Rock City Reentry Program (RCRP)’s Pathway Home 3 initiative funded by a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) grant awarded to the LRWDB under the Reentry Employment Opportunities Program in 2017. The purpose of this grant is to provide eligible, incarcerated individuals in state correctional facilities or local jails with workforce services prior to release and to continue services after release by transitioning the participants into the workforce in the communities to which they will return.
Future-Fit certification is received before release, which allows participants to apply with employers with skills and an industry-recognized certification that increase employability in Advanced Manufacturing and Industrial Production sectors. If you are a local employer that could benefit from hiring a Future-Fit certified employee, please contact Reentry Manager, Courtney Darrow at Courtney.Darrow@arkansas.
Thank you to the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, which developed the Future Fit program. Many thanks, also, to CSI Academy within the Pulaski County Detention Center, University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College (UAPTC), and Restore Hope, which play key roles in making the program a reality.
Congratulations to each of the Future Fit graduates who have invested in their own success as well as their families, friends, and other members of the community who helped them along the journey.
[11 of 12 Graduates Pictured with their UA-PTC Instructor, Shane O’Barr. 1 Graduate Unable To Be Present.]