Federal RESTART grant funds reentry training that starts inside and continues after release
Vocational Students Complete Electrical Training Project
Philadelphia, PA, Sept. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Philadelphia Works, Inc. (PhilaWorks), the city’s workforce development board, has been awarded $851,000 to train justice-involved young people in welding, advanced manufacturing, healthcare support, and information technology, and to keep that training uninterrupted when they leave custody.
The funding originates with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Reentry Employment in Skilled Trades, Advanced Manufacturing, Registered Apprenticeships, and Training (RESTART) initiative and comes to PhilaWorks as a pass-through subaward from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, which administers the initiative in the Commonwealth. The $851,000 is the full amount obligated through the December 2029 grant period.
PhilaWorks will serve 115 justice-involved youth and young adults ages 15 to 24 over a grant period running through December 2029. An additional $300,000 in Commonwealth funds brings the total program cost to $1,151,000.
The model is built around continuity. Participants begin pre-apprenticeship instruction at the Philadelphia Department of Prisons (PDP) Skills Center, inside facilities, then resume the same curriculum at the same point after release rather than starting over. Instructional hours, competency milestones, and credential progress travel with the participant. Case management begins at least 90 days before release and continues for 12 months after program exit.
“Too many young people in Philadelphia do everything we ask of them while they are incarcerated and then hit a wall the moment they come home,” said Patrick Clancy, president and CEO of Philadelphia Works. “This award lets us close that gap. When training does not stop, momentum does not stop, and momentum is what turns a credential into a career.”
Four Pathways Grounded in Regional Demand
Participants will select from four career pathways aligned with regional demand and accessible without a four-year degree:
- Welding and Industrial Fabrication
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Healthcare Support Operations
- Enterprise Digital Solutions and IT Support
Each pathway will provide technical instruction, lead to industry-recognized credentials, and connect participants to Registered Apprenticeships, subsidized on-the-job training or employment through Philadelphia’s fair-chance employer network.
Participants without a high school diploma may also apply qualifying work-based learning hours toward graduation under Pathway 5 of Pennsylvania Act 158, in coordination with the School District of Philadelphia.
A Citywide Partnership
PhilaWorks serves as the coordinating backbone. For participants ages 18 to 24, the Philadelphia Technician Training Institute (PTTI), procured by PDP, delivers pre-release training. Contracted training providers deliver post-release services in partnership with PDP and PA CareerLink® Philadelphia, which supplies supportive services including transportation, tools, and work attire.
Participants ages 15 to 17 enter through Career Connected Learning Philadelphia (C2L-PHL), the city’s youth workforce initiative led by the City of Philadelphia, PhilaWorks, and the School District of Philadelphia. They earn a stipend for paid work-based learning: internships, project-based and service-learning programs, and job shadowing hosted by employers, nonprofits and city agencies.
National and Statewide Context
The U.S. Department of Labor announced RESTART in February 2026 as an $81 million national investment in training and employment for people with criminal records, prioritizing skilled trades, advanced manufacturing, and shipbuilding. Pennsylvania secured nearly $3 million of that funding to serve justice-involved young people ages 15 to 24 statewide. The Shapiro Administration announced the Pennsylvania awards through the Department of Labor & Industry, which distributed funding to four local workforce development boards:
- Partner4Work (Allegheny County): $851,000, serving 115 participants ages 18 to 24
- Lancaster County Workforce Development Board (LCWDB) (Lancaster County): $518,000, serving 70 participants ages 18 to 24
- Montgomery County Workforce Development Board (MCWDB) (Montgomery County): $444,000, serving 60 participants ages 15 to 24
- Philadelphia Works, Inc. (Philadelphia County): $851,000, serving 115 participants ages 15 to 24
How to Get Involved
Businesses interested in hiring justice-involved young adults or hosting work-based learning can connect with PhilaWorks by filling out this form. Career seekers of all ages can access services at pacareerlinkphl.org.
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About Philadelphia Works
Philadelphia Works invests in solutions and services to grow Philadelphia’s economy by connecting employers to workforce talent and career seekers to jobs. We influence the public policies that support economic growth and optimize funding and resources to invest in regional solutions to build a skilled and thriving workforce. For more information about our dedicated board members and staff, workforce research, labor market data, services, and initiatives, visit philaworks.org
EOE Notice: Philadelphia Works is an equal opportunity employer that manages and funds equal opportunity programs. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. TTY: 267-792-3400. Stevens Amendment Notice: The Reentry Employment in Skilled Trades, Advanced Manufacturing, Registered Apprenticeships, and Training (RESTART) program at Philadelphia Works, Inc. is supported by the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor as part of an award totaling $851,000, passed through the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, which represents 74 percent of the total program cost of $1,151,000. The remaining 26 percent, $300,000, is financed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. No portion of this program is financed by non-governmental sources: $0 (0 percent). For program funding details in compliance with the Stevens Amendment, please visit: https://philaworks.org/governance-policy/stevens/.
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- Vocational Students Complete Electrical Training Project
CONTACT: Dawn Thomas Philadelphia Works, Inc. 267-307-0358 [email protected]
