Takeaways from the Second Chance Employees Webinar on Oct. 19
We have had an overwhelming response to our webinar hosted on Oct. 19 where we explored hiring workers with a criminal record and/or formally incarcerated individuals re-entering the community. Here are some general takeaways from the event and links to the resources presented.
JOB TRAINING
Both the Kane and DuPage Sheriff Offices offer remarkable programs to support individuals re-entering the community. Both provide job training skills while incarcerated which include basic computer literacy, forklift driver’s certification, janitorial training, etc. in addition to soft job skills training. Interesting to note is many incarcerated individuals had very marketable job skills upon entering the correctional facilities and, therefore would be an asset to an employer with little investment in job training.
Below is the contact information for both programs where employers can post their job and receive more in-depth information on the programs available.
Judy Dawson
Director of Administration, Kane County Sheriff’s Office
(630) 208-2009 | DawsonJudith@CountyofKane.org
Michael Beary
Executive Director, JUST of DuPage, DuPage County Correctional Facility
630-407-2199 | michael.beary@DuPageSheriff.org
TAX CREDITS
The webinar provided details on how to apply for employer tax credits up to $9,600 per employee for hiring these workers. Employers can reach out to IDES to get a determination on the specific tax credits available prior to making a job offer to the individual candidate. More information on the tax credits can be found at this link: https://ides.illinois.gov/jobs-workforce/programs/wotc.html.
INSURANCE COVERAGE
To negate potential risks associated with hiring an individual with a criminal history, a no-cost insurance coverage is available to protect employers against potential employee dishonesty, theft, or embezzlement.
More information can be found at: https://ides.illinois.gov/jobs-workforce/programs/fidelity-bonding.html
PROTECTIONS
For more information on both the tax-credit and fidelity bonding protections, reach out to:
Bruce Olson, Business Services Coordinator, Illinois Department of Employment Security at (630) 844-6693 Bruce.E.Olson@illinois.gov
SUCCESS STORIES
We heard from two bold Chamber Members who shared their personal journey back into the community and the workforce. These two incredible success stories challenged the negative stereotypes of this worker pipeline and underscored the potential of individuals with a criminal background.
A full recording of this webinar can be viewed at your leisure at:
As always, please reach out if you have questions or want to discuss a policy on your industry’s radar.
(630) 544-3387