AUSTIN – The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) is investing in efforts to enhance existing rehabilitation and reentry efforts after receiving a $4.6 million Partners for Reentry Opportunities in Workforce Development (PROWD) Grant. The funding, which comes from the U.S. Department of Labor in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice, will be used to extend employment services to individuals who are incarcerated or released from federal prisons.
“The PROWD Grant program will empower incarcerated people by helping them learn new skills and feel confident about their contributions to Texas’ workforce,” said TWC Executive Director Ed Serna. “These enhanced services will improve employment outcomes for individuals while filling gaps in high demand industries and bolstering local communities.”
More than $5.3 million in additional PROWD Grant funding may be added to the award—for a combined maximum grant of $10 million—once TWC moves on to enhancing services, including on-the-job training. In the near term, TWC will use its existing award to implement improved reentry services in partnership with eight Workforce Development Boards: Southeast, Rural Capital, Borderplex, Dallas, Northeast, Alamo, Cameron, and Gulf Coast.
Recipients of PROWD grants can leverage state-tested, evidence-based strategies to coordinate service enhancements among federal, state, local public safety, and local workforce agencies.
About the PROWD Grant:
Since its launch in 2022, the PROWD Grant program has leveraged Bureau of Prison’s (BOP) experience in reducing recidivism with the expert knowledge that state workforce agencies and local partners have about the specific needs of employers where PROWD participants are released. In partnership with the BOP, the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration administers PROWD grants with the goal of expanding reentry services such as apprenticeship opportunities, external service providers, skill-building services, occupational training for in-demand occupations, industry-recognized credentials, career services, and supportive and follow-up services.
