Alabama Reentry Task Force Highlights PREP Program as Key to Workforce and Defense Readiness
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama’s Reentry Task Force met last week at the Alabama State House to address critical issues facing formerly incarcerated individuals while spotlighting workforce shortages and emerging opportunities tied to national defense and skilled trades.
Chaired by Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles Director Cam Ward, the task force brings together cabinet members, legislators, state leaders, and nonprofit advocates focused on improving reentry outcomes. The group evaluates and recommends programs centered on job training, education, mental health and substance use treatment, and essential workplace skills, all aimed at reducing recidivism and strengthening public safety.
Among the key presentations was an update from U.S. Navy Maritime Industrial Base Director of Strategic Partnerships Lindsay Cline, who outlined the Navy’s effort to accelerate shipbuilding programs. The Maritime Industrial Base is expected to require approximately 250,000 skilled maritime trades workers over the next decade, creating significant demand for welders and advanced manufacturing professionals. Alabama’s Department of Commerce and Department of Workforce have played central roles in developing partnerships to meet this need.
One potential pipeline discussed was the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles’ Perry County PREP Center, which provides comprehensive job training and support services to individuals completing the PREP Program. Through partnerships with Ingram State Technical College and the Alabama Community College System, the program offers in-house education, technical training, substance use treatment, and mental health services to prepare participants for successful reentry.
The PREP model has received national recognition for innovation, most recently as a finalist for the State Transformation in Action Recognition from the Council of State Governments. Nearly 500 Alabamians have graduated from the program, with a recidivism rate of less than one percent.
Plans are underway to expand PREP’s welding and advanced manufacturing capabilities, including construction of a new 30,000-square-foot welding bay. The expansion is designed to address Alabama’s growing demand for skilled welders while supporting national defense manufacturing needs.
“This is a gamechanger for the Alabamians we serve,” Ward said. “It will exponentially increase the success we’re seeing at PREP and allow us to provide highly trained welders who can help meet critical workforce needs and strengthen our nation’s defense capabilities.”
In addition to welding, PREP offers training in carpentry, electrical work, and Skills for Success programs, which include excavator and skid steer operation, CDL Class A and B training, and fiber optics. These short-term credential programs align with high-demand industries and prepare participants for immediate employment.
The program has also recently enhanced its commercial driver’s license training with the addition of a state-of-the-art driving simulator, expanding access for participants pursuing careers in logistics and transportation.
Looking ahead, the Bureau plans to replicate the PREP model with a new facility in Thomasville dedicated exclusively to women. Officials are also exploring ways to leverage the Bureau’s Day Reporting Centers to recruit nonviolent parolees and probationers interested in advanced welding training.
Task force members said initiatives like PREP demonstrate how strategic partnerships can simultaneously support successful reentry, meet workforce demands, and contribute to Alabama’s economic growth and national defense readiness.
