Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com August 1, 2016 • Worcester Business Journal 11 if you don't meet us halfway, and don't put the work in, you're not going to stay [in the class]." Collegiate advocacy Through the U.S. Department of Education, MWCC will partner with the Massachusetts Department of Corrections to provide academic pro- grams for about 72 inmates at three dif- ferent prisons: the North Central Correctional Institute in Gardner, the Massachusetts Correctional Institute in Shirley and the Federal Medical Center in Devens. The program is geared towards inmates on track for release over the next five years. Specific details and training curricula for the Mount Wachusett's portion of the Second Chance Pell Pilot Program hadn't been decided on as of press time, Asquino said, but the program will likely be similar to the one the college runs with the sheriff 's office. It will start early next year, he said. "Most people in prison are going to be released in our neighborhoods and in our communities," Asquino said. "Wouldn't we rather have them gainfully employed and paying taxes?" The three-year recidivism rate for Massachusetts prisoners released in 2012, including technical violations of parole or probation, was 32 percent, according to the Massachusetts DOC. Skills-gap maximization There has been a lot of talk about the need to fill the so-called workforce skills gap in Massachusetts. An October 2015 study by Northeastern University's Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy projects a shortage of 1.2 million job openings between 2012 and 2022. Murray, who in addition to his cham- ber position is a workforce development advocate and co-chair of the the Alliance for Vocational Technical Education, said tapping into the ex-offender population isn't just a good idea – it's critical. "And that's not just my opinion," he said. "I've met countless police chiefs and people in law enforcement, who have said 'If we're going to expect people once they're released not to go back to the life they were part of … you've got to have work opportunities available.'" The Alliance for Vocational Technical Education is in its first year, so there are no specific plans regarding the incarcer- ated workforce population, Murray said. A goal of the alliance is to make voke/ tech schools an 18-hour-a-day opera- tion, meaning the technology at those schools could be accessible for more people – including the incarcerated. "There's a waiting list right now for kids to get into voke/tech schools. If we can open these schools for non-tradi- tional hours … [kids] could come in at 3 p.m. and take a class," he said. "Maybe the sheriff 's department could come in on Saturdays." n Looking for a host offering Four Diamond hospitality in a central, convenient location? Well... Offering space for 5 to 300 guests, world-class cuisine and Central Massachusett's only AAA Four Diamond approval rating, we host exceptional meetings and dinners of all sizes. Let's meet. 363 PLANTATION ST • WORCESTER • 508.754.5789 • BEECHWOODHOTEL.COM roadway safety and transportation improvement projects. Simple math says of the $85.6 million, MassWorks budget this year, $8.56 mil- lion is allocated to those towns of 7,000 or less, leaving about $77 million in the MassWorks general pool. So, $16 million for Central Massachusetts represents nearly 21 per- cent of the available funds. Small-town love Before MassWorks, lightly-staffed towns faced the complex challenge of learning and understanding what pro- grams were available and the application and selection criteria process, said Larry Casassa, director of community devel- opment in Fitchburg. "It absolutely makes the funding more accessible for smaller towns," he said. Fitchburg used MassWorks funding to rebuild its River Street corridor to improve walkability, bicycle access, and gave the area a different feel. "Massworks funding was a game changer," said Mary Jo Bohart, director of economic development in Fitchburg. It is "a very important catalyst in eco- nomic development." Wiiks, of Leominster, said MassWorks has been democratic in its awards, enabling economic development throughout Massachusetts. "They have done a good job spreading it around the state," Wiiks said. Massworks is "on our list or favored programs." The increase in funding this year will be crucial to support more economic development projects, Casassa said. "It is about rebuilding our older cities and towns," Casassa said. "We used to have a number of different programs, all had slightly different criteria for funding… MassWorks simplifies the process." n Worcester officials see the improvements to Quinsigamond Avenue using $2 million in MassWorks funding as an important part of the downtown revitalization effort. n Total jurisdiction population as of Jan. 1, 2016: 10,014 inmates (9,355 males, 659 females) n Offense type, as of Jan. 1: 69 percent violent, 31 percent nonviolent n Average criminal releases per month, 2015: 277 n Average criminal admissions per month, 2015: 230 Massachusetts DOC prison statistics P H O T O / E D D C O T E

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