Second Chances, Stronger Workforce: Richmond’s Inaugural We Work Pre-Apprenticeship Program Graduates Prepare for Union Careers
A Richmond partnership advances public safety and helps close workforce gaps by connecting people on probation to family-sustaining careers in the building trades
RICHMOND, Va. — Ten Richmond-area residents crossed the stage today as the first graduates of the Richmond We Work Pre-Apprenticeship Program, with six weeks and 120 hours of training behind them and union careers with family-sustaining wages and benefits ahead. All are on probation, and each just took a major step toward putting their past behind them for good.
The program is a partnership among the Urban League of Greater Richmond, the Richmond Building and Construction Trades Council, the Virginia Department of Corrections, and REFORM Alliance. Together, the partners recruited and prepared candidates, delivered industry-recognized training, supported participants throughout the course, and connected graduates to union apprenticeships.
Nationally, two-thirds of people on probation earn less than $20,000 a year. Yet stable employment is a strong predictor of successful reentry and lower recidivism. At the same time, Virginia employers have just 76 available workers for every 100 open jobs, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.¹ Virginia has people who need careers and industries that need workers. This program connects them.
It also builds on five years of bipartisan probation reform in the Commonwealth, across three administrations led by governors of both parties. Virginia’s latest supervision reform, which took effect July 1, allows people on probation who follow the rules, adhere to their case plans, and pose minimal risk to their communities to earn their way off supervision early. It explicitly recognizes employment and job training as the kind of progress supervision should encourage.
The We Work Pre-Apprenticeship program employed the nationally recognized Multi-Craft Core Curriculum (MC3), launched by North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) and run by TradesFutures, a national non-profit dedicated to expanding pathways into Registered Apprenticeships. The course covers construction math, blueprint reading, workplace safety, and what it takes to succeed on a union job site. The program added hands-on exposure to multiple trades, direct connections to local apprenticeship programs, mentorship and specialized support for participants navigating supervision.
The Virginia Department of Corrections and local probation offices identified and referred participants and ensured that probation requirements did not interfere with the training, while the Urban League of Greater Richmond built a local support system around the cohort. REFORM Alliance convened the partnership and addressed two of the biggest barriers to completion: lost income during the six-week training program and limited access to reliable transportation. To help remove those obstacles, REFORM provided participants with a weekly stipend and Uber-funded ride credits.
The Richmond Building and Construction Trades Council connected the graduates to job opportunities in the trades. Upon program completion, all ten graduates were offered and accepted union apprenticeships. That is a notable result: only 5% of apprenticeship-readiness programs reported placing between 75% and 100% of their graduates into registered apprenticeships within 12 months.²
The partners will continue supporting the graduates as they enter their registered apprenticeship programs and begin earning wages while learning a skilled trade.
“This is an incredible celebration of what is possible when people are met with high expectations, practical support and a clear path to family-sustaining wages,” said Shemicia “Mimi” Bowen, Board Chair of the Urban League of Greater Richmond. “These We Work graduates showed up for six demanding weeks and proved what we already knew: Richmond has talented people ready to work, learn and contribute. The Urban League is proud to stand beside them as they move from training into careers that can strengthen their families and our community.”
“In our union halls, what matters is your work, not your past,” said Charles Skelly, President of the Richmond Building and Construction Trades Council and Business Manager of IBEW Local 666. “The building trades need people who are dependable, willing to learn and ready to work safely as part of a team. These graduates have demonstrated those qualities. An apprenticeship provides real wages and benefits from day one, and at the end, you have earned a trade that nobody can take away from you. We look forward to helping this cohort take that next step.”
“Every person in this cohort completed this training while also meeting their responsibilities on probation,” said Jarred Williams of REFORM Alliance. “Richmond probation officers worked with participants to make sure supervision requirements did not interfere with training, and the graduates matched that support with real commitment. I watched them show up, work through challenges and take this opportunity seriously. The path was not easy, but they stayed with it. Now they are moving into careers that can change their lives, support their families and strengthen this community.”
“Employment and vocational training are central to success under community supervision,” said Virginia Department of Corrections Director Joseph W. Walters “This partnership combines accountability with practical support and a direct path to high-demand careers. It gives participants an opportunity to build stability while helping probation officers and community partners advance our shared public safety mission.”
Notes:
1. “Understanding America’s Labor Shortage: The Most Impacted States.” U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 13 December 2024, https://www.uschamber.com/workforce/the-states-suffering-most-from-the-labor-shortage. Accessed 16 July 2026.
2. Scaling Placement Pathways: Promising Practices from Apprenticeship Readiness Programs (TradesFutures, April 2026), 8, https://tradesfutures.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Scaling-Placement-Pathways-Promising-Practices-from-Apprenticeship-Readiness-Programs.pdf
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About the Urban League of Greater Richmond
The Urban League of Greater Richmond, an affiliate of the National Urban League, works to empower communities and change lives across the Richmond region through advocacy, education, workforce development and economic opportunity.
About the Richmond Building and Construction Trades Council
The Richmond Building and Construction Trades Council represents affiliated local unions across the construction trades in the greater Richmond area, connecting workers to registered apprenticeships and family-sustaining careers while providing the region’s contractors with a skilled, safe and dependable workforce.
About the Virginia Department of Corrections
The Virginia Department of Corrections is responsible for the custody and community supervision of people in Virginia’s correctional system, with a mission of enhancing public safety through effective supervision, rehabilitation and successful reentry.
About REFORM Alliance
REFORM Alliance aims to transform probation and parole by changing laws, systems, and culture to create real pathways to work and wellbeing. REFORM has helped pass 23 bipartisan bills across 12 states, including Virginia, that make supervision smarter, more effective, and focused on public safety. These reforms reduce taxpayer waste and remove counterproductive barriers that prevent people who are taking accountability from working, supporting their families, and rebuilding their lives.