REFORM-backed Lancaster program opens a paid path to skilled-trades work
The 10-week initiative serves young adults affected by probation or parole with training, transportation and a weekly stipend.
The Black Angle News Desk · AI-assisted reporting
A Lancaster, Pennsylvania, workforce program is offering young adults affected by probation or parole a paid route toward skilled-trades jobs. The Lancaster County Workforce Development Board says REFORM Work Matters is designed to connect 70 local people ages 18 to 24 with training and employment pathways.
The program is backed by a $518,000 U.S. Department of Labor RESTART grant and is being delivered with the Workforce and Economic Development Center at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology. The board says the first cohort began August 18. AllHipHop’s September 25 report adds that the free 10-week apprenticeship-readiness course includes construction math, blueprint reading, workplace safety, job preparation and OSHA 10 preparation.
Participants receive a $250 weekly stipend and paid Uber transportation, with union-job placement as the stated goal. REFORM Alliance, the probation-and-parole organization co-founded by Jay-Z, is a program partner. The college says its Workforce Center builds short-term, hands-on programs for in-demand jobs; completion does not guarantee employment, so this brief describes the pathway rather than promising an outcome.
Program scope, participant count, funding and first-cohort date were checked against the Lancaster County Workforce Development Board’s September announcement. Curriculum and support details come from AllHipHop’s September 25 report; the college’s site confirms the Workforce Center’s short-term, hands-on training role. No job-placement outcome is guaranteed.
Published by The Black Angle. Editorial standards & corrections.
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