{"id":148645,"date":"2026-04-14T21:26:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T01:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=148645"},"modified":"2026-04-14T21:26:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T01:26:12","slug":"northampton-county-northampton-community-college-and-lehigh-valley-justice-institute-launch-workforce-focused-reentry-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=148645","title":{"rendered":"Northampton County, Northampton Community College, and Lehigh Valley Justice Institute Launch Workforce-Focused Reentry Program"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Easton, PA \u2014<\/strong>Northampton County, Northampton Community College (NCC), and the Lehigh Valley Justice Institute (LVJI) have announced a new partnership designed to prepare incarcerated individuals for successful reentry into the workforce through education, career planning, and hands-on support.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<em>Pathway to Your Future Program<\/em>\u00a0connects participants with career exploration, job readiness training, and college credit\u2014helping individuals build a foundation for meaningful employment after release. The initiative reflects a shared commitment among County leadership, NCC, and LVJI to expand opportunity and strengthen the regional workforce.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis program is about creating real second chances,\u201d said Tara Zrinksi, Northampton County Executive. \u201cBy equipping individuals with skills, direction, and support before they leave incarceration, we are strengthening both their futures and our regional workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Participants engage in an immersive curriculum focused on career pathways, employability skills, financial literacy, and reentry planning. Through structured activities, they identify career interests, build resumes, practice interview skills, and develop actionable plans aligned with high-demand industries. As part of the program, NCC provides Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) credits in key college success and career planning courses, allowing participants to begin their higher education journey before release and continue seamlessly after reentry.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the classroom, participants receive individualized support including academic advising, financial aid counseling, supportive groups, and connections to workforce and career services\u2014ensuring they are not only prepared to find a job, but to build a sustainable career. The program lead facilitator is Northampton County Reentry Specialist Jennifer Siegfried.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJennifer brings more than a decade of experience in corrections to her role as Northampton County\u2019s Reentry Specialist, and that expertise is strengthening this important work every day,\u201d Zrinski said. \u201cThrough the County\u2019s partnership with Northampton Community College\u2014with support from Lehigh Valley Justice Institute\u2014we are connecting incarcerated individuals with skilled trades educators and building real pathways to employment, including opportunities to earn college credits. This is what meaningful reentry looks like, focusing on practical, collaborative, and long-term success.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The program also directly addresses barriers faced by individuals with a criminal record, helping participants understand employment limitations, navigate disclosure, and identify viable career opportunities in today\u2019s job market.<\/p>\n<p>By aligning education with workforce needs, the initiative aims to reduce recidivism and strengthen the local economy. Participants leave the program with a clearer sense of purpose, practical skills, and a pathway into NCC\u2019s workforce training and degree programs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone deserves the opportunity to move forward,\u201d said President of Northampton Community College Dr. David Ruth. \u201cThis partnership ensures that individuals who have made mistakes still have access to education, support, and a future filled with possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The program was developed with the support and advocacy of LVJI, whose commitment to advancing innovative approaches to criminal justice reform and workforce reentry helped bring partners together around a shared vision of education and opportunity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About Northampton County<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Northampton County strives to be a safe and prosperous community by providing quality, cost-effective services to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of present and future generations. The County protects the environment, supports the economy, and fortifies public health and safety through the establishment of facilities and programs to safeguard our quality of life.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>About Northampton Community College<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Founded in 1967, Northampton Community College (NCC) serves more than 20,000 students annually through degree, workforce training, and community education programs. Committed to access and student success, NCC provides innovative, high-quality learning experiences that prepare students to enter or advance in the workforce or transfer to four-year institutions. Through continued growth, NCC remains a vital workforce pipeline and community partner in the region.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About The Lehigh Valley Justice Institute<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Lehigh Valley Justice Institute is an independent nonpartisan research, policy, and advocacy organization working to develop and promote a reimagined criminal justice system that is equitable and fair for all communities. The Institute employs a data-driven approach focused on the criminal justice processes of the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania. \u200b<\/p>\n<p>Information provided to TVL by:<br \/>\nNorthampton County<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Easton, PA \u2014Northampton County, Northampton Community College (NCC), and the Lehigh Valley Justice Institute (LVJI) have announced a new partnership designed to prepare incarcerated individuals for successful reentry into the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=148645\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Northampton County, Northampton Community College, and Lehigh Valley Justice Institute Launch Workforce-Focused Reentry Program<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":122147,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,5738,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-148645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-northampton-county","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/NC-Northampton.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148645"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=148645"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":148646,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148645\/revisions\/148646"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/122147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=148645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=148645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=148645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}