The Workforce Board seeks competitive solicitations to provide employment reentry services for people in the prison system, focused on high wage careers in the information technology industry.

Read more and respond to the Request For Proposals here.

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Purpose: The mission of the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (Workforce Board) is to sustain Washington’s economic vitality through a highly skilled workforce. In the State Supplemental Operating Budget (ESSB 5950, 2024), the Workforce Board is tasked to contract with an organization to provide reentry services for individuals within the prison system who are within three to five months of release for direct entry into a program or employment.

Training and employment services are crucial for individuals nearing the end of their incarceration for several reasons. First, these services equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to reintegrate into society successfully, reducing the likelihood of recidivism. Secondly, employment opportunities provide financial stability and a sense of purpose. Additionally, access to training programs helps individuals develop new skills or refine existing ones, increasing their employability and confidence. Ultimately, these services not only benefit the individuals by facilitating their reentry into society but also contribute to safer communities by promoting rehabilitation and reducing crime rates, and to our state’s economy by expanding our talent pipeline with a previously untapped labor pool.

This reentry services program aims to eliminate obstacles to economic success and reduce recidivism rates for individuals reentering society after incarceration in Washington’s corrections system. The focus of this program is preparing incarcerated individuals for IT-Based, IT-enabled, or IT-adjacent jobs proliferating across our state, or for training and education that will lead to these jobs. The goal of this program is to not only make strides towards bridging the digital divide but also to expand the workforce pipeline and improve employment opportunities in high-demand jobs paying family-sustaining wages.

Background

The Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (Workforce Board) was established in 1991 with the responsibility for coordinating policy planning and evaluation for the state’s workforce training system. Among its specific responsibilities, the Workforce Board is required by Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5950 (ESSB 5950, the 2023-2025 State Supplemental Operating Budget) to contract with an organization to provide reentry services for individuals within the prison system who are within three to five months of release for direct entry into a program or employment.

The Workforce Board seeks an organization or partnership of entities that can develop and implement, within one year, a program that will help incarcerated individuals prepare for IT related employment. This is an opportunity to develop and test a model to improve outcomes for Washington’s reentry population. While the Workforce Board intends to request continuation funding during the 2025 Legislative Session, at this time, funds are only available from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. Bidders may elect to build upon or grow an existing program in order to capitalize on the time frame allowed.

Bidders are expected to describe their model, the number of participants they will serve, and the education, employment, and earnings outcomes they expect per participant. Participants must be within three to five months of release to be eligible.  Proposals should consider enrolling the majority of their participants at the front end of the program in order to evaluate actual impact on the back end