The Vocational unit has continued to build capacity in FY24 through recruitment and training. In August of 2023, the unit hired a Workforce Development Coordinator (WDC) to split time at Chittenden Regional and Northwest State correctional facilities. In January 2024, the vocational unit hired a WDC for Northern State Correctional Facility and two Vermont Correctional Industries (VCI) staff transitioned from the foreman position to become vocational instructors. The fiscal year was spent training staff in WorkKeys assessments, vocational delivery, staff certification in OSHA/NCCER/ServSafe/Flagging, and developing our network to enhance community enrichment events through connections with the Department of Labor, HireAbility Vermont, and other community services.

Current activities through 3 streams of work – Assessment, vocational instruction, and workforce readiness through enrichments events.

The ACT WorkKeys Assessment helps determine, build and measure essential workplace skills that can affect job performance and increase opportunities for career changes and advancement. The National Career Readiness Certificate is earned by scoring 3 – 7 on each of the following assessments applied math, graphic literacy, and workplace documents. Earning a score between 5-7 could also earn individual college credit. These scores indicate an ability to perform more complex skills as the scores increase. The ACT WorkKeys scores help the vocational unit determine less ready or more ready for employment. The score, along with the ACT job profiles website, gives the incarcerated individual a snapshot of their current skill set related to jobs or careers.

Workplace experience courses deliver the real world on the job training. The Vocational unit has matched jobs within VCI and the institutional kitchens to the Standard Occupational Classification system (SOC) from the Department of Labor (DOL). Linking that with the Common Career Technical Core standards (CCTC) gives vocational staff the ability to grade job standards and track the individual’s development.

Vocational efforts The RIS Division aligns our CTE offerings to Vermont’s CTE centers and the workforce needs of Vermont. In addition to Vocational Services courses, industry-recognized credentials earned in FY24 included Workzone Flagger, Health & Safety Institute (HSI) First Aid/CPR/AED, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) Core Curriculum, and National Restaurant Association (NRA) ServSafe & Pro Start curricula. Industry Recognized Credentials (IRC) - An IRC is a certification that has been widely acknowledged as holding value within a specific industry or field. Recipients of these credentials have demonstrated that they possess the knowledge, skills and competencies required to perform specific tasks or roles within that industry. This fiscal year instruction and workshop were provided by both the new vocational unit and corrections education instructors.

Career and Technical education (CTE) - CTE is the practice of teaching specific career skills to individuals . • Welding using welding simulators • Woodworking • Workplace experience (VCI & Facility Kitchens) • Employability skills and career exploration Financial literacy is the ability to understand and effectively use various financial skills, including personal financial management, budgeting, and investing.

Transitional services – Developing multiple partnerships across the state to ensure that our workforce readiness efforts are aligned with industry standards and the needs of Vermont employers. The vocational unit set up enrichment events for incarcerated individuals to attend. These events bring in community services or employers to discuss what services are available to them upon release. These events have been successful in connecting individuals to services prior to release. Partners include Department of Labor (DOL), HireAbility Vermont, Vermont Association of Business, Industry and Rehabilitation (VABIR), Adult Career and Technical Education (CTE/AOE), Individual Career Advancement Network (ICAN), Community College of Vermont, Adult Education (AOE), Working Fields and ReSource Vermont.