Mfume secures $500k grant to expand job training for returning citizens
A $500,000 federal grant appropriated by U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.-07) will support vocational training opportunities for 50 Baltimore residents at the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives. The 17-week program offers hands-on instruction in skilled trades designed to help returning citizens secure employment and reduce recidivism. The post Mfume secures $500k grant to expand job training for returning citizens appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.
Black News 
By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
The National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA) closed out national Second Chance Month with a $500,000 federal grant secured by Congressman Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.-07) during the federal appropriations process to support returning citizens and prevent recidivism. The funds, which were delivered on April 27, will be used for 50 Baltimore residents to participate in a 17-week course in trades such as automotive mechanics; commercial driver’s license (CDL); refrigeration; and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) at NCIA’s Vocational Training Center (VTC) in Baltimore.
The VTC provides hands-on instruction alongside wraparound services and employment counseling designed to help students transition into stable careers.
Observed each April, Second Chance Month raises awareness about the obstacles faced by people returning from incarceration, promoting stronger support for reentry.
“I have a model that I live by and that is: it’s not how you start a life that counts, it’s how you finish,” said Mfume. “Although you’re looking at somebody who happens to be a member of the United States Congress and did this and that over many, many years, it was not an easy road for me. I was lucky to have a second chance, third chance and a fourth chance.”
Mfume recalled his own experience with the criminal justice system, noting that he was involved with a gang as a teenager and had 13 arrests by the time he was 19.
He advised students to view the efforts they put into the program as stepping stones guiding them toward their goals and urged them to encourage others to take advantage of the opportunity.
One NCIA student, Samuel Hoyte, learned about the VTC shortly after he returned from criminal detention. A friend told him about the program and encouraged him to check it out. Hoyte said he applied on a whim, not knowing much about what it entailed or whether it was legitimate.
Today, he’s receiving training in HVAC installation and repair with plans to secure an apprenticeship before pursuing a master’s in industry mechanics after graduating.
“I’m ambitious, but I didn’t see this far ahead for myself—that I’d be able to meet people who could help me with this,” said Hoyte. “Now, I know exactly what I’m going to do for the next 10 years.
“I’ve got a path now to lay a foundation to change my life for my family, for generations under me,” he continued. “It feels good. I’m motivated.”
At the beginning of April, 64 students graduated from NCIA’s vocational training program. Collectively, they earned 294 professional certificates, according to VTC Director Eric Brown.
Brown said about 70 percent of program graduates secure employment within 120 days, equating to more than $8.6 million that’s re-introduced into the Baltimore City economy annually.
With Mfume’s grant, Brown said he’s excited for the work to continue.
“For the last nine years, we have done the work of changing lives in the city and creating pathways of opportunity for returning citizens, high school graduates, those who are underemployed, unemployed or really anyone who desires a change to be better,” said Brown. “This funding provides us an opportunity to continue that work, to continue to be a beacon of hope and real change in the city. The change is real. Our impact is real.”
The post Mfume secures $500k grant to expand job training for returning citizens appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.
