New Jersey's construction industry has a

program that trains people to take jobs

in the building trades while giving

those still chasing the dream a chance

or a second chance

Briana vanozza reports Edwin Ortiz spent

all of his adult life behind bars

when he was released two years ago he'd

never used a computer or smartphone

he lacked the basic skills necessary to

fill out a job application but those

days are behind him now Ortiz is an

apprentice with the International Union

of bricklayers and allied craft workers

his success being touted thanks to NJ

build a job training program through the

New Jersey re-entry Corporation for the

underserved and formerly incarcerated

it's about giving people a second chance

but not just telling them God blessing

good luck giving them training so they

have a purpose giving them training so

that they have a job former governor Jim

McGreevey launched the

pre-apprenticeship program with the help

of an $850,000 grant through the New

Jersey Department of Labor with

partnership from do T candidates like

Ortiz get education prep for Union

entrance exams linked to Union job

placement and earn OSHA 10 certification

it's a career it's a skill that I'm

learning that I could use something that

can be taken away from me I just

recently had my first child last year

she has brittle bone disease and through

this program I was actually be able to

receive the proper health care for her

my point is it's so much cheaper than

prison we're willing to spend fifty five

thousand dollars a year for 20 years

over a million dollars and nobody blinks

an eye this program is $2,200 for New

Jersey reentry per client and then we

get eight hundred thousand dollars from

the Department of Labor but what we're

doing is we're transforming people's

lives the program also helps candidates

clean up their past earn a GED get a

driver's license the d-o-t Commissioner

says there's a shortage of strong labor

in the state and then

is just the pipeline they need there is

no better money spent than that we spend

on other people's lives money for

McGreevy's reentry corporation was on

the chopping block in governor Murphy's

proposed budget lawmakers were quick to

remind him about the hard-fought cash

Jim continue what you're doing and just

know we're gonna always look out for you

in the budget it takes about nine to

twelve months to go through the

apprenticeship program so far about a

hundred and twenty people have graduated

another two hundred twenty plus are

expected to be admitted former Governor

McGreevy says if you're looking for an

application you can find one at your

local legislators office in Keys B

Brianna the nosy NJTV news

[Music]