Gov. Beshear is leading an education-first administration because he knows that supporting educational opportunities for every Kentuckian is the key to building a better Kentucky.
GED Prep Classes
Earning a GED greatly increases an individual’s opportunities for future success upon release. Free GED prep classes are available to all Kentuckians, including state and county inmates, through Kentucky Adult Education. Programs include adult literacy, adult basic education and adult secondary education/GED test credential preparation. Beginning in 2020, Gov. Beshear also waived the GED testing fee for all first-time test takers, eliminating a financial barrier to success for many who did not graduate from high school.
Contact your local Kentucky Adult Education center to learn more.
Job Training
Apprenticeships are a great way for individuals reentering the workforce to learn on-the-job training while also receiving a paycheck. Learn more about
Registered Apprenticeships at the Kentucky Works website.
Pre-Apprenticeship Partnership
The Ironworkers Union will be providing pre-apprenticeship instruction and coursework to offenders and prepare them to start an apprenticeship program with an employer upon release. The Ironworkers Union course is projected to start October 2024 at Northpoint Training Center and Luther Luckett Correctional Complex.
For more information or to provide services, please contact Steve Meadows at
steve.meadows@ky.gov.
Educational Programs
The Kentucky Department of Corrections provides educational programs and career and technical educational services to those currently incarcerated to help them overcome any barriers they may face upon release. The programs include reentry simulations, job and resource fairs and expungement sessions. Many of these events are held in conjunction with local community partners in the reentry field throughout the commonwealth.
Learn more about
educational programs.
Grants for College
Through the federal Second Chance Pell grant funding, incarcerated individuals can receive assistance with college tuition and materials. Currently classes are offered for individuals housed at the Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women, Luther Luckett Correctional Complex and Northpoint Training Center. Classes are expected to be offered at Blackburn Correctional Complex beginning fall 2024. Incarcerated individuals interested in applying to take college classes should contact the onsite college coordinator or the institution’s Corrections Regional Education Administrator. College partners using this temporary grant funding will be transitioning to the Prison Education Program per U.S. Department of Education regulations.
Colleges interested in providing services should contact Amber Skaggs at
ambern.skaggs@ky.gov.
Kentucky Youth Challenge Academies
The mission of the Kentucky National Guard Bluegrass Youth Challenge Program is to intervene and reclaim the lives of at-risk youth to produce program graduates with the values, skills, education and self-discipline necessary to excel as adults. The academies are a 22-week residential course designed to take Kentuckians ages 16 to 18 and give them the tools necessary to see their dreams become a reality. They are a cost-free program.
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Bluegrass Challenge Academy is located at 114 Conroy Ave., Fort Knox, KY 40121. To learn more,
click here or contact them at 877-599-6684.
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Appalachian Challenge Academy is located at 465 Grays Branch Rd., Grays Knob, KY 40829. To learn more,
click here or contact them at 855-596-4927 or via email
admissions@challengeaca.com.