BATON ROUGE - Louisiana Works has been awarded $5.1 million to help people who were released from prison return to the workforce. 

The grant came from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Reentry Employment in Skilled Trades, Advanced Manufacturing, Registered Apprenticeships, and Training Initiative, known as RESTART. 

Through the initiative, participants will have access to career coaching, occupational training, work-based learning and other resources that aim to help secure and maintain employment.

“Work is the clearest path to independence, stability and a second chance,” Louisiana Works Secretary Susana Schowen said a prepared statement. “RESTART will help individuals returning from incarceration build the skills employers need, earn a paycheck, support their families and contribute to their communities.”

RESTART builds on the Louisiana Board of Regents’ Untapped Talent initiative. 

“Every Louisiana resident deserves the opportunity to build a better future through education and meaningful work," Louisiana Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed said.