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Gov. Kay Ivey announced she has awarded a $150,000 grant to assist state inmates who have obtained job skills to obtain employment once they are released from prison.

The grant will assist J.F. Ingram State Technical College in Deatsville in linking graduates who trained while in prison for a vocation at the school with employers who are seeking employees with those skills.

“By completing this training program, participating inmates demonstrate that they want to make amends for their past mistakes and earn the chance to become productive citizens after serving their sentences,” Ivey said. “I commend them for their dedication to learning a skill, and I am pleased by those employers who see value in their achievement and are willing to hire them.”

The program identifies and connects employers across the state with inmates who possess the desired skills that help Alabama companies thrive while also providing those inmates the chance they require to earn a living and put their talents to work.

Founded in 1965, J.F. Ingram provides training for inmates in a number of highly demanding labor fields including welding, automotive repair, plumbing and HVAC, carpentry and more. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grant from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Justice.

“ADECA is pleased to join Gov. Ivey in her support of this program that has made and will continue to make a difference in the lives of so many people,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said.

ADECA administers an array of programs supporting law enforcement and traffic safety, economic development, energy conservation, water resource management and recreation development.