Waterbury Reentry Welcome Center part of statewide effort providing workforce training, credentials, and support services

The Waterbury Times|Community|July 29, 2026

Waterbury-A statewide initiative designed to help justice-involved individuals rebuild their lives through workforce training, education, and employment support has concluded after four years of service — leaving behind a legacy of hundreds of success stories across Connecticut, including right here in Waterbury.

Career Resources’ WE RISE Together (Workforce Education and Reintegration Services for Employment) program launched in 2022 with a mission to provide returning citizens with the tools and support needed to overcome barriers and achieve economic stability.

Originally scheduled to end in June 2025, the program was extended for an additional year due to its success and continued demand, allowing services to continue through June 30, 2026.

Over the course of the initiative, approximately 1,100 Connecticut residents enrolled in the program. More than 600 participants earned nationally recognized workforce credentials, while approximately 500 individuals secured employment.

The program brought together Connecticut’s Reentry Welcome Centers in Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, and Waterbury, along with the Opportunities Industrialization Center of New London and workforce development partners throughout the state.

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WE RISE Together focused on more than employment. Participants often faced challenges involving transportation, housing, education, childcare, healthcare, and financial stability. Through individualized case management and community partnerships, the program helped participants address those barriers while preparing for careers in high-demand industries.

Participants earned certifications and training in fields including:

• Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)
• Healthcare careers
• Manufacturing
• Welding
• HVAC
• Carpentry
• Electrical
• Culinary arts

• Construction safety
• Customer service
• Skilled trades

Beyond certifications, participants received career coaching, résumé assistance, interview preparation, transportation support, work equipment, housing referrals, and emergency assistance.

Career Resources said the program’s greatest impact cannot be measured only by statistics, but by the personal transformations experienced by participants who used the opportunity to create new futures for themselves and their families.

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Stories of Second Chances

One participant, Ashley Staggers, entered the program after incarceration in 2023 while living in temporary housing and uncertain about her future. Through WE RISE Together, she earned certifications, secured employment opportunities, obtained housing, and eventually advanced into a culinary apprenticeship with Chef Raquel Rivera of Pinch of Salt Catering.

By 2026, Staggers returned to the Bridgeport Reentry Awards not as someone seeking assistance, but as a professional sharing her success story.

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Christopher Frank joined the program determined to build a better future for himself and his children. After overcoming transportation challenges and setbacks, he completed workforce training, earned certifications, and secured employment with Greenwich Tent. He later advanced into a warehouse leadership position and expressed interest in helping create opportunities for future participants.

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Charles Cox overcame barriers created by his criminal record and began working as a maintenance technician through program partnerships. His dedication led to a supervisory role at TransPak in Trumbull, and he now helps connect other justice-involved individuals with employment opportunities.

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Michael Jon Gelagotis used the program’s support and workforce credentials to overcome employment barriers related to his criminal history. After advocating for himself with a potential employer, he secured a position with MJG Services, earned recognition as an employee of the month, and received a promotion.

Career Resources said the conclusion of WE RISE Together does not mark the end of its commitment to reentry services. The organization will continue supporting individuals through the Bridgeport Reentry Welcome Center and its network of community partnerships.

The program’s final message was clear: a person’s past does not have to determine their future.

For more than 1,100 Connecticut residents, WE RISE Together represented not only workforce development, but an opportunity for stability, independence, and a second chance.

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When The Waterbury Times reached out for an update on the progress of the WE RISE Together Report initiative, the answer was clear: the program’s impact was measured not only in job placements and certifications, but in the lives of people who received an opportunity to move forward.

According to Tiffany Branch, Director of the Reentry Welcome Center, WE RISE Together provided justice-involved individuals across Connecticut with access to workforce education, career training, and support services designed to help remove barriers to employment.

Launched in 2022 by Career Resources and funded through Connecticut’s Office of Workforce Strategy, the program connected participants with training opportunities designed to prepare them for careers in high-demand industries.

The initiative brought together Connecticut’s Reentry Welcome Centers, including the Waterbury location, along with workforce development partners throughout the state.

Over the course of the program, approximately 1,100 participants statewide enrolled in WE RISE Together. More than 600 individuals earned workforce credentials, and approximately 500 participants secured employment opportunities.

The program recognized that successful reentry involves more than simply finding a job. Many participants faced challenges involving transportation, housing, education, childcare, healthcare, and financial stability. Through individualized support and community partnerships, WE RISE Together worked to address those barriers while helping participants build long-term careers.

Training Opportunities Available Through WE RISE Together

Participants had access to a wide range of industry-recognized credentials and career training programs, including:

• OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 Safety Certifications
• Traffic Flagger Certification
• National Retail Federation Certification
• CPR/First Aid
• ServSafe Food Handler and Manager Certifications
• Patient Care Technician
• Community Health Worker
• Medical Assistant
• Certified Nurse Aide (CNA)
• Home Health Aide
• Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)
• Forklift Certification
• Welding
• Childcare Training
• Bartending
• Phlebotomy
• CNC Entry-Level Operator Training
• Plastic Injection Molding
• Culinary Arts
• Carpentry and Woodworking
• Electrical Training
• HVAC Training
• Pre-Manufacturing Training

The program’s supporters say these credentials provided participants with pathways into stable employment while helping Connecticut employers connect with trained workers.

While WE RISE Together officially concluded in June 2026, Career Resources said the work continues through ongoing reentry services and partnerships designed to help individuals overcome barriers and successfully transition back into their communities.

For many participants, the program represented more than workforce training — it represented a chance to create a different future.