Jail and Tech Company Partner to Help Ex-Offenders Re-Join Workforce
(PRWEB) July 29, 2014 -- The pioneering Montgomery County Correctional Facility (MCCF) announced its unique partnership with jobs ecosystem and access point company Apploi to assist ex-offenders in their search for gainful employment. As part of its “1for1” mission to expand access to jobs, for which Apploi donates iPad kiosk to places where people would greatly benefit from access, Apploi donated a kiosk to the facility’s American Job Center, formerly referred to as One Stop Career Centers. The Center has been operating inside the jail since 2006.
“We are so excited about the installation of the kiosk inside the center. Our customers will be empowered to research opportunities for themselves; where in the past staff provided this information,” said Alisa Smedley, Coordinator of the Center. “With this donation from Apploi, they will now learn a valuable life skill.”
Inmates can connect and apply to training programs and jobs prior to their release. The result is that upon release they can have their next steps – and reintegration into society – all set up.
The Workforce Development Trainer, Donna Rojas, believes that the new kiosk will be “very innovative technology for the customers to get hands-on experience while maintaining our facility’s custody and security protocols.”
The Apploi interactive application that is completed on the iPad kiosk, includes video and audio questions, as well as a portfolio section that jobseekers create to showcase their talents. It makes the hiring process more instantaneous, effective, and personality-focused for both jobseekers and employers. With Apploi, jobseekers are no longer viewed by employers as one-dimensional pieces of papers, but as real people with unique stories that can be heard. Employers reluctant to hire ex-offenders can hear in advance from applicants how they are rehabilitated and why they would be an asset to the company.
“We are honored to partner with the leadership and re-entry team at Montgomery County Correctional Facility who are so impressive with their dedication to helping ex-offenders rejoin society and return to the workforce. Their embrace of innovation and speed of action sets a remarkable path for others to follow,” said Adam Lewis, CEO of Apploi.
Warden Robert Green of MCCF emphasizes the jail’s ongoing commitment to providing positive and creative opportunities in support of employment services and the population’s ultimate successful reentry to the community. Green shares, "approximately 92% of the inmate population within this facility will return to the streets of our community. Our focus on community return through the work of our Reentry For All Program is focused on behavioral change, education and workforce development. While in our custody this programmatic concentration provides strong participant engagement, which also facilitates good security and safety outcomes.
We are not focusing on moving any participants to the front of the line. Our focus is teaching our inmate population how to get in line and engage the many community services and programs that are available to them. This will ultimately result in their successful return to their communities.
Apploi attended The White House's Champion of Change: Reentry and Employment event in July and a workshop at The White House in April focused on the use of technology to facilitate reentry for formerly incarcerated individuals.
Tom Smith, Apploi, http://apploicorp.com/, +1 212-273-9694, [email protected]
Share this article