The Bureau of Prisons offers eligible inmates the opportunity under its occupational education programs to participate in occupational education courses for the purpose of obtaining marketable skills designed to enhance post-release employment opportunities. The unit team is responsible for determining that the occupational education course is appropriate for the inmate's apparent needs. 544.52 Levels of Occupational Education Programs. Occupational education programs are offered at the certificate level and the classroom level. Exploratory training is a study of occupations and industries for the purpose of providing the student with a general knowledge of the occupation and the world of work, rather than specific skill development.
Marketable training provides specific entry-level or advanced job skills.
Apprentice training provides an inmate the opportunity to participate in training which prepares the inmate for employment in various trades through structured apprenticeship programs approved at the state and national levels by the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, U.S. Department of Labor.