Program Overview:
Vocational Offerings
Our Vocational Training Center provides vocational training, case management, workforce development and job placement to overcome the barriers to success that challenge the most underserved members of our community. We help previously incarcerated individuals, veterans, the homeless and other economically disadvantaged citizens secure the jobs that change their lives. Our staff has executive-level leadership across several industries, including corporate, military, and social services which ensures our participants succeed in their selected vocations.
Vocational training not only provides jobs, but it provides a new opportunity at life.
Our Programs
We currently offer five comprehensive programs*:
- Automotive Repair
- Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Class B
- Drone
- HVAC/R
- Culinary Arts
To ensure access to this education, we also provide wrap-around support services including help with transportation, housing and expungement services.
*Please note vocations offered vary by location*
``They gave me the tools that I needed to grow because I know I had within me, I just needed somebody to enhance it... They gave me more than a second chance, they gave me a new life.``—Raymon Hall, CDL Class B
New Jobs = Fresh Starts
Upon graduation from each of these programs, participants receive industry-recognized credentials and twelve months of post-training support to help them find a good job. Our Workforce Development Institute provides individualized case management that customizes the experience for each person. We get to know their life story, dreams and goals. Then we teach life readiness skills like financial literacy and digital literacy, and job readiness skills like resume writing and interview preparation — as well as help to secure needed paperwork and identification. Marrying this support with solid employer partnerships, we help participants get life-changing jobs.
Who We Help
Veterans:
NCIA VTC provides veterans with training and referrals to help them secure benefits and employment.
Citizens Returning from Incarceration:
We are committed to helping formerly incarcerated individuals turn a new leaf on life. These individuals are often released with no help of obtaining a license or even an understanding of how to apply and keep a job. We are there to guide them in the right direction.
Economically Disadvantaged Individuals:
We provide vocational training to individuals in the community who receive SNAP (supplemental nutrition assistance program) benefits. Serving this population has a tremendous impact on those seeking opportunities for a second chance at financial independence and saves taxpayers millions of dollars.
We Support Every Step
For all populations, the VTC also provides wrap-around support services, including workforce development, the removal of legal, health, social and financial barriers that can prevent or affect employment, and up to 12 months of support after program completion to ensure job placement and retention.
For our participants we provide a myriad of resources:
- Access to veteran’s benefits
- Job research and placement
- Referral for behavioral and mental health services
- Assessment of discharge status (upgrades)
- Disability upgrade assistance
- DD-214 translation services
- Job uniforms and tools
- Financial literacy training
- Criminal expungement assistance
Real Results—By the Numbers
- We place 74% of graduates in jobs.
- In Maryland, one study showed a recidivism rate of 40%. However, that number dropped to zero for ex-offenders who had achieved six months of employment.
- More than 700,000 incarcerated individuals are released from jails and prisons in the U.S. each year.
- In 2018 there were 326,000 unemployed veterans in the U.S.. Unemployment, underemployment and lack of access to wrap-around services can lead to crime and recidivism.
- Across the country, statewide rates of recidivism range 31-70%, while the rates dropped for those placed in jobs shortly after their release to 3.3-8%.
- According to some studies, it costs (on average depending on the state) six times as much to keep someone in prison for a year than to train and place them in a job.
- VTC serves 350 people annually
We’re not just providing training; we’re providing life changing opportunities.