A one-of-a-kind program that helps ex-convicts get back into the workforce has earned the College of New Caledonia an award for excellence.
The 2023 Gold Program Excellence Award was bestowed by Colleges and Institutes Canada for CNC's Reintegration Industry Readiness Training (RIRT) program.
Since 2015, RIRT has served over 80 people who've done time - each going through a mix of in-class and hands-on learning opportunities for the trades over the course of three months.
“The RIRT program is a big opportunity for previously incarcerated people to get a new chance at life,” CNC president Dennis Johnson said in a statement from the college. “We’re all about lifelong learning, no matter what people’s background, no matter where they are in life, but this program really stands out because of who we are impacting."
Through the program, students are introduced to three trades programs - automotive, carpentry, and pro-cook -and can earn 13 worksite safety and equipment operator tickets. Students also learn job-readiness skills through mock interviews and presentations with local employers.
Graduates have gone on to careers in local mills, construction landscaping, resource extraction, and traffic control. Others have pursued further education in the trades.
“I didn’t really know what to expect before I entered the program,” said one RIRT graduate in the statement. “Initially I approached it as a requirement of my parole, but once we got started, it felt good to start exercising my brain again.
"Everyone at CNC was kind and helped me figure out what to do next. Knowing I had that support made me feel more comfortable applying to the welding program once I finished.”
According to a 2021 Public Safety Canada report, only 50.8 per cent of past federal offenders reported employment income in 2014, and the average income reported was only $14,000. In contrast, 70 per cent of recent graduates from RIRT have landed a job within three months.
“The statistics show that without the appropriate supports and training, employment outcomes for previously incarcerated people are very poor,” Johnson said.
It's run in partnership with Corrections Service Canada, the B.C. Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, and local employers and currently, it is the only program of its kind in Canada.
"We’re teaching them that they don’t have the stigma of being ‘a con’. They already feel that way coming in. Having a program like this, nobody has a predetermined idea of what they are and how they are,” said parole officer and program coordinator Giselle Valaire.
“I’m a huge advocate of the mock-interviews because it’s an opportunity for these students to get coached through the difficult spots. They build conflict management skills, get constructive feedback, and gain a confidence they haven’t had before."
