Illinois Women Trade Candle Making for Clean Energy Jobs

Women leaving prison in Illinois are getting a powerful new path forward: training for clean energy careers that pay real, family-sustaining wages.

The YWCA of McLean County is closing Labyrinth Made Goods, its job training program that taught formerly incarcerated women to make soy candles. The reason? A half-million-dollar state grant is opening doors to something bigger: careers in solar installation, electric vehicle technology, wind manufacturing, and energy-efficient building maintenance.

"We see that need on the employer side of things, and we see a need for gainful, family-sustaining employment on the end of our clients," said Alicia Whitworth, vice president of development at YWCA McLean County.

Since 2020, Labyrinth Made Goods gave women more than minimum wage job skills. It offered flexible schedules for probation appointments and drug court requirements, creating a supportive environment where employment barriers didn't feel impossible.

That support worked. Only 6% of women in Labyrinth programs returned to jail or prison between 2018 and 2024. The statewide recidivism rate sits at 48%.

Now the YWCA is scaling up. Through partnerships with Heartland Community College, electric vehicle maker Rivian, and local manufacturers, women in the program get direct pathways to credentials and jobs in booming industries desperate for workers.

The training starts inside Logan, Decatur, and Lincoln correctional centers, where cohorts learn about clean energy careers before they're released. Upon leaving prison, participants continue training and connect directly with employers actively hiring.

The Ripple Effect

Clean energy companies across Illinois are hiring rapidly, creating opportunities for people who might never have considered these careers. The program prioritizes formerly incarcerated people, women, and people of color, but anyone can enroll.

"Almost always those are due to people not being able to find gainful employment or somewhere to live," Whitworth said about why people reoffend. "If we were able to duplicate efforts like Labyrinth throughout the state rather than just specifically in McLean County, it would save Illinois taxpayers billions annually."

The candle business served its purpose beautifully, giving women resume-worthy skills and dignity during difficult transitions. But clean energy careers offer something candle making couldn't: wages that support entire families and industries with long-term growth.

Real barriers fall when good jobs become accessible, and Illinois is proving that second chances paired with smart training create futures worth celebrating.