LOUISVILLE, Ky.

Goodwill's Soft Skills Academy is reaching behind bars to grow Kentucky's workforce, and aiming to help curb recidivism. According to Justice Cabinet Secretary John Tilley, the state's recidivism rate has slightly dropped, by two percent. Job training facilitators at Goodwill like to think they're contributing to that decreas.  The staff there reports that in 2018, 1,596 people went through training and 822 of them secured full-time jobs. Average wages were $11.53/hour. 

Tom Saylor is the trainer in Louisville, and is a former inmate himself. “People tend to be more receptive to information from somebody that’s walked the walk they have, and plus when they see somebody find success in their life," Saylor explains.

One student is Vincent Coleman, an inmate on work release from the Community Correctional Institution in Louisville. “I want my own business cleaning carpet, but I’m trying to do welding, too. Like I like to learn different stuff," says Coleman.