Press Releases
06/19/2017
Gov. Malloy: New State Partnership Will Provide Enhanced Education Opportunities and More Job Marketability to Those on the Verge of Leaving Incarceration
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that a new partnership between the Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) and the Department of Correction (DOC) will create a new 10-hour construction safety and health training class to persons in DOC custody who are nearing the end of their sentences and preparing to seek employment. The federally-approved course, often referred to as the “OSHA-10,” is a new initiative that has a the goal of increasing the education and skills of those leaving incarceration so they become more marketable to prospective employers.
Held over the course of five weeks in two-hour segments, the course will be provided by staff from CTDOL’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (CONN-OSHA). Participants who successfully complete the training will receive a course completion card from the federal OSHA Region 1 Training Institute Education Center.
The Governor stressed that these efforts aim to continue reducing the state’s historically low crime rate by providing those who are soon-to-be released with the tools needed to become productive members of society and prevent recidivism.
“By working with people before they are released from custody, we can improve their chances to be successful at obtaining employment upon their release, thereby making a real impact that drives our crime rate even lower and ending the cycle of crime and poverty,” Governor Malloy said. “If we are to truly work toward ensuring that those housed in our prisons do not return, then we need to be a society that makes the kind of smart investments that produce real, positive results for the residents of our state.”
“OSHA-10 provides the general knowledge an entry-level construction worker needs for recognizing and preventing hazards on a construction site, and offers an educational advantage to those leaving our correctional system,” CTDOL Commissioner Scott D. Jackson said. “We are pleased to be working with Commissioner Semple on this new initiative – this is a way to provide those deserving a second chance with better opportunities when they begin their job search and transition from inmates to productive and contributing resident of their communities.”
“Past practice has demonstrated that offenders who participate in employment-related educational programs significantly reduce their chances of reoffending and returning to prison,” DOC Commissioner Scott Semple said. “We are honored to partner with the Department of Labor on this important initiative which will ultimately result in reducing recidivism.”
More than 100 people in DOC custody have already expressed interest in the course and are registered to begin the classes, which start on June 21 at the DOC’s Cybulski Community Reintegration Center in Enfield.
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