INDIANAPOLIS — Congressman André Carson and Mayor Joe Hogsett recently joined RecycleForce and community leaders to celebrate a $1.5 million grant award that is helping to re-establish the Indianapolis Career Pathways Collaborative (CPC). The award from the U.S. Department of Labor will allow RecycleForce to provide transitional employment, OSHA Safety, and industry-recognized credential training to 190 individuals that have a moderate to high risk of re-offending when returning to high crime and high poverty areas of Marion County. In April, Rep. Carson wrote a letter to officials at the Department of Labor in support of the grant proposal.
The CPC is being relaunched as the advisory board for this effort to ensure RecycleForce is producing the types of training that prepares individuals re-entering our community for high demand occupations in Indianapolis. The group, made up of senior-level representatives of agencies ranging from workforce development to law enforcement to unions, will meet four times annually over the next two years.
RecycleForce is an electronics recycling organization that offers employment and workforce training opportunities for returning citizens transitioning back into the community. The organization is located in and serves the federally-designated Indy East Promise Zone.
The City of Indianapolis continues to strengthen its partnership with RecycleForce as part of ongoing efforts to improve the way individuals transitioning out of incarceration are connected with community resources, drive down recidivism rates in Marion County, and ultimately improve public safety.