Skills Gained in Prison
The skills you gained from work assignments and training programs can help you get a good job after release.
You have job skills that employers want. Some skills you have from the jobs and training you had before incarceration. Some skills you gained while in prison. Others work skills come from volunteering and other life experiences.
Knowing what your skills are is an important part of making a career plan. You need to know what you can offer an employer before you job search.
If you have not already, take the time to find out what you can do and how well you can do it. You need to match your skills to occupations.
Prison Work Assignments and Training
You might have participated in a work-training program while incarcerated such as MINNCOR. You also might have done a work assignment that helped you gain skills that you can use after release.
Some of the jobs that people in facilities often work or get training in include:
- assembly
- carpentry
- food service
- forklift operation
- furniture re-finishing
- hand/machine sewing
- kitchen management
- laundry service
- machining
- mechanical design
- metal fabrication
- packaging machine operation
- painting
- print press operation
- shipping/receiving
- warehouse operation
- welding
- wood working
Maybe you did not like the work assignment you had in prison. That's OK. You can look for other occupations that use similar skills.
The skills that you have now are just the beginning. Once you are released, you can look for work that uses your current skills and will help you gain new skills. You can also enroll in a job training or college program to learn new skills. You can make a career plan that fits your interests, values, and goals.
Next Steps:
- Find ways to gain new skills.
- Know your work skills.
- Search for career options that match your current skills.
