- Rep. Burgess Owens advocates for Utah's workforce program to address labor shortages.
- Owens visited Utah State Correctional Facility to explore inmate apprenticeship opportunities.
- Owens plans to propose national legislation inspired by Utah's successful workforce model.
SALT LAKE CITY — The workforce development program carried out by the Utah State Correctional Facility could offer answers to the national labor shortage, according to one Utah lawmaker.
Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, toured the facility in a two-hour visit on Aug. 4, gathering details and information about the workforce and apprenticeship opportunities offered to inmates while serving out their sentences. The visit was made to help craft legislation emulating the Utah program on a national level to help address the country's labor shortage, Owens told the Deseret News.
"I'm hoping, as we talk about this and I go back to D.C., that Utah can be the model," Owens said in an interview with the Deseret News. I hope "we can have the resources, the collaboration, and that we can show what it looks like when a state is very, very purposeful — and then the rest of the country can benefit from how we do this and how we approach it."
Owens cited the most recent jobs report posted in July that showed 7.4 million job vacancies and an unemployment rate of 4.2% in the month of June, according to the Labor Department's monthly analysis. That puts the unemployment rate at roughly 7.2 million people, which Owens characterized as a "mismatch" compared to the jobs available.
"We have a need, but we're not able to fill that need because our workforce is not prepared to walk in and go to work," Owens said. "So we have to bridge that gap. There's a couple areas that I feel that the federal government has somewhat of an oversight in that we can drive this initiative, and that's in the correction arena."
Utah facility offers apprenticeships, hands-on experience
The state correctional facility offers multiple opportunities for inmates to prepare for a return to the workforce through hands-on training and what it refers to as the Makin' It Work program.
The facility hosts classes for inmates to learn valuable skills such as responding to high-pressure situations and problem solving, according to the Utah Correctional Industries website. Those seminars are available to all inmates, including those with scheduled release dates and those without.
The apprenticeship programs then offer hands-on training for a variety of industries such as machining, customer service, upholstery, graphic design, welding and more. The programs are designed to give inmates the required training needed so that they are qualified for job openings upon release.
"Everybody has a different talent, different interests and different passions," Owens said. "Apprenticeships are very, very important … so when they come out, they're ready to go to work."
Owens pushes to recreate Utah program on national stage
As lawmakers explore options to address the national labor shortage, Owens said he is prepared to return to Congress in early September with plans to sell his colleagues on the Utah way.
"It just so happens that here in Utah, we have gotten it right," Owens, who sits on the House committee tasked with overseeing U.S. workforce policy, told the Deseret News. "We understand that the purpose for correction is to prepare for the next chapter in which they can move forward and be productive."
Utah has another unique strength that has positioned itself as a possible national leader, Owens said: empathy.
Owens described the nature of inmate-corrections officer relationships inside the facility as mostly collaborative and understanding — noting officials emphasized the need to "humanize" one another at least twice while on his tour.
The Utah congressman lauded the state's ability to "truly believe in the hearts of people," pointing to that as the secret to success if applied to national efforts.
"I think the correction system could be a gold mine if we approach it the right way and find those who truly want to have that next step to move out, and then give them the tools and opportunities to make that happen," Owens said. "I think Utah, because of our culture of service and innovation, … I think we can be a state that's done correctly."
