DTE Energy Co. is launching a first of its kind program with the Michigan Department of Corrections that is designed to train citizens for work once they are released from prison.

The Detroit-based utility is providing consultation on a new tree trimming curriculum for soon-to-be paroled prisoners at Parnall Correctional Facility near Jackson, said DTE spokeswoman Sara Craig. DTE Energy Foundation is funding the program with an initial grant of $100,000.

The inaugural class of 24 tree trimmers begins the program Wednesday and is expected to complete it in six to nine months, according to a news release from DTE. The program teaches them to climb trees, trim branches away from power lines and how to obtain a commercial driver's license.

The class consists of prisoners who are scheduled to be released on parole in tandem with the completion of the class. They will have the opportunity to join Southfield-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 17 and fill an open role with a tree trimming supplier, the release said. They are not guaranteed a job after release.

"We have an opportunity here to make Michigan an example for the country and set a nationwide standard for criminal justice reform," Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in the release. "I'm proud to partner with DTE Energy as we take a new approach to preparing inmates for successful lives after incarceration by creating the nation's first vocational tree trim program."

Whitmer was joined by DTE Executive Chairman Gerry Anderson, Michigan Department of Corrections Director Heidi Washington and other dignitaries during a media event Tuesday at Parnall.

The program will be administered by the state through the prison's Vocational Village, a program created in 2016 that teaches prisoners skilled trades. The Michigan Department of Corrections has so far invested $7 million into the program, which is offered at Parnall and Ionia Correctional Facility, said Chris Gautz, spokesman for the Department of Corrections. A new Vocational Village is being built at Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Pittsfield Township and is expected to be done by the end of the year.

The DTE-backed program and vocational efforts by the state produce a return on investment by keeping returning citizens out of prison, according to the state. Gautz said that since the vocational programs began three years ago, 600 prisoners have graduated and less than a dozen have returned to prison, and 65 percent are currently employed. He said that of the prisoners who have graduated in the past six months, 95 percent have left with a job in hand.

"That's really our goal is to train the prisoners and get them a national certification, but then if we can also partner with the business community and get them a job before they walk out the door, that's gonna set them on the best path," Gautz said, adding that many companies conduct job interviews in the prisons or via Skype.

Michigan's recidivism rate, which measures the percentage of returning citizens who re-offend within three years of release, is among the lowest in the nation at 28.1 percent, according to the state's website. The unemployment rate for returning citizens is 60 percent — more than 15 times higher than the regular statewide unemployment rate. Providing parolees with job opportunities would further reduce the recidivism rate, the state says.

"I've learned from my peers — both in Michigan and in other states — that returning citizens who are looking for a second chance in life can be among your very best and most loyal employees. They just need to be given a chance," Anderson said in the release. "A criminal record shouldn't be a life sentence of unemployment."