RICHMOND, Va. -- In an effort to address labor shortages in the roofing industry exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, a national program has extended a lifeline to inmates by teaching them valuable skills that can lead to gainful employment upon their release.
GAF Roofing Academy, an initiative from one of the industry’s largest manufacturers, developed a certificate program designed to equip individuals from all walks of life with the skills needed for an entry-level job in the trade.
Chesterfield County Jail stands out as one of the first correctional facilities in the nation to offer training behind bars.
GAF Roofing Academy first identifies contractors in need of employees and then seeks students who could fill those roles, thus making the job placement easier upon release.
Matthew Carter, one of the 12 inmates participating in the inaugural roofing certificate course at Chesterfield County Jail, expressed his appreciation for the opportunity.
"They're actually teaching us how to do it step by step," he said.
Carter, who has grappled with addiction, sees this program as an opportunity to hopefully keep himself busy after his upcoming return to life outside the jail.
Chesterfield County Sheriff Karl Leonard highlighted the program's potential to reduce recidivism.
"The more that we can help people leaving our prisons and our jails, and the more we can get them gainfully employed, the less we're going to have that recidivism and revolving door," he said.
Handpicked from a pool of approximately 300 inmates, the participants were selected based on their trustworthiness and potential for employability within the next 90 days.
GAF Roofing Academy believes the initiative is a win-win situation.
Not only does it address the industry's labor shortage by training a skilled workforce, but it also provides people with a chance to rebuild their lives through meaningful employment.
"People from a justice-involved background, they just really need an opportunity. And with that opportunity, they need the guidance to embrace that opportunity," Roderick Colvin of GAF Roofing Academy said. "I try to demonstrate that success is available to them. All they have to do is make the sacrifice and put the work in."
Sheriff Leonard is confident that employers who hire these program graduates will gain dedicated and committed employees.
"I think whoever hires these folks is going to get some great employees," the sheriff said. "They'll be some of the most dedicated, committed employees you'll have in your organization."
The roofing industry offers an average starting salary of nearly $40,000 per year, according to GAF.
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