Preparing for What’s Next: How iCEV Helps Justice Involved Learners Build Career-Ready Skills

In a county jail classroom in Placer County, California, education is doing more than filling time. It is helping students picture a future outside the walls.

For the last six months, Coree Keenan, a teacher at South Placer Jail, has been using iCEV to support adult learners. Her students work through courses focused on communication, workplace readiness, and employment barriers, building toward certifications such as the Southwest Airlines Professional Communications Certification and the Express Employment Professionals Career Preparedness Certification. What she has seen is not just stronger academic engagement, but a real shift in mindset: students are beginning to think beyond incarceration and in ways Keenan has not seen before.

That shift matters, especially in a jail setting, where time is limited. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, people admitted to local jails spend an average of about one month in custody before release. These short stays make jails among the most important and challenging points for reentry intervention. [View Citation]  

iCEV’s Justice Involved Curriculum includes a range of resources, such as Overcoming Barriers, The Gap Pack: Workplace Readiness, and the Peer Tutoring Certificate Course, allowing programs to select the tools that best fit their needs, with flexible, self-paced options designed for education units, reentry programs, and general population settings.

Building Skills That Translate Beyond the Classroom

The impact shows up in the kinds of questions students now ask. Instead of only asking broad questions about wages or whether employment is possible after release, “with iCEV, they’re asking much more intelligent, detailed questions” about which companies are likely to hire individuals with criminal records, potential job fit, and next steps, Keenan says. That change reflects something important: learners are not only consuming information, they are also starting to plan and can see a path forward.

The certifications are a major motivator. Keenan describes students comparing scores, pushing one another to improve, and taking pride in passing. Earned certifications also often come with letters of support, which can be used as informal recommendations to potential employers and as proof that students are capable of growth and achievement. In a setting where many learners may have limited positive reinforcement and minimal, if any, support in their corner, that kind of recognition carries weight.

Just as important, the classroom experience is active and imaginative. Students brainstorm businesses, create logos with AI, build menus, discuss equipment, and think through the realities of loans, licenses, and operations. In Keenan’s classroom, ideas

like a food truck, an electrical contracting company, or a barber-and-tattoo shop become vehicles for teaching vocabulary, communication, teamwork, and critical thinking. Students are not simply talking about work in the abstract. They are practicing how to describe a concept, defend an idea, and collaborate around a shared plan, often with more imagination, engagement, and humor than traditional instruction alone would allow.

This kind of employment-focused learning aligns with broader reentry research. A 2024 U.S. Department of Labor synthesis of rigorous studies found that seven of eleven employment-focused reentry programs showed statistically significant positive effects on employment, and five of eight showed positive effects on earnings. The same report notes that reducing recidivism is more difficult than improving employment alone, reinforcing the value of programs that build practical skills, provide continuity of support, and foster real-world connections rather than relying on a single intervention. [View Citation] 

Confidence, Communication, and a Shift in Identity

Keenan’s experience points to another reality that often gets missed in conversations about corrections education: students need stimulation, purpose, and a chance to practice a different identity. At South Placer Jail and in similar settings, learners have limited access to information and few opportunities to engage their minds. Asking students to imagine a business, solve problems together, or earn a certification is an academic exercise and a way of rebuilding agency, helping them see that staying out of jail is a realistic goal.

Keenan also sees stronger communication and camaraderie in class than she has in the past. Students share ideas, refine plans together, and build relationships. That social development matters because successful reentry is rarely about a single credential. It often depends on whether people can communicate, collaborate, solve problems, and see themselves as capable of participating in aboveboard work and community life.

Reentry Starts Before Release

Career and Technical Education can be especially powerful in a correctional facility setting. iCEV’s work in reentry emphasizes industry-recognized credentials that validate skills and improve competitiveness in the job market. In a correctional environment, that validation both supports employability and helps learners believe they have something legitimate to offer.

"The iCEV curriculum is heavy academic work, and it needs to be,” says Keenan. “But each of our classes is like a pep talk to get them through. And the most encouraging thing I see is that they think they can actually do this and stay out of jail.”

Keenan’s account of iCEV’s impact on inmates underscores that reentry starts long before release day. It starts when learners begin asking better questions, when they can imagine the businesses they would like to operate, and when a certification score, business plan, or classroom conversation provides evidence that a different future is possible.

For educators considering implementing iCEV in similar settings, Keenan’s advice is simple: “take baby steps and lean in.” Instructors can earn a free certification firsthand to help better understand the student experience and confidently guide learners through the material. "This program has so much potential,” Keenan states. “I can see it becoming a tidal wave."

 iCEV delivers secure, purpose-built CTE curriculum and certifications for justice involved programs, helping learners build job skills, earn industry-recognized credentials, and move into meaningful work after release.