Secure State Job Offers
For Incarcerated Individuals Before Leaving
Prison
December 9, 2021___ A
civil service workshop and hiring event for incarcerated individuals was held
at the California State Prison, Solano on November 17, 2021. Twenty-three
individuals received conditional job offers for employment from the California
Department of Transportation (Caltrans) before returning to their communities.
“This hiring event is successful thanks to multiple state
agencies coming together to improve the lives of others,” said CALPIA’s Acting General Manager Bill
Davidson. “CALPIA thrives through partnerships, and it is rewarding to
see a smooth transition for those individuals who are about to leave prison.”
The California Prison Industry
Authority (CALPIA) joined with Caltrans, the California Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), the California Government Operations
Agency (GovOps), the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR), and the
California Workforce Development Board in the Civil Service Workshop.
“Following the completion of their training, Caltrans is
proud to offer these Californians jobs in maintaining our highways,” said Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin. “These
jobs can lead to rewarding careers in civil service, and Caltrans is pleased to
partner in this effort.”
The November 17, 2021 hiring event was the second to take
place at California State Prison, Solano. A total of 34 incarcerated
individuals took the entry-level Highway Maintenance Worker or Landscape
Maintenance Worker exam, with 33 successfully passing one or both exams. Since
the first workshop and hiring event in 2019, 33 received conditional job offers
from Caltrans.
The $37 million Prison to Employment
Initiative, a three-year workforce and re-entry services integration across the
state’s 14 regions, aims to improve labor market outcomes for the state’s
justice-involved and formerly incarcerated populations.
The $37 million Prison to Employment
Initiative, a three-year workforce and re-entry services integration across the
state’s 14 regions, aims to improve labor market outcomes for the state’s
justice-involved and formerly incarcerated populations.
Joe Flores, the lead representative
for the Prison to Employment Initiative and Corrections Workforce Partnership
for the California Workforce Development Board, said there are major wins to
celebrate.
“Through this coordinated
partnership, we can help incarcerated individuals into post-release jobs,”
said Flores. “This civil service hiring event leaves a blueprint for other
public agencies to follow.”
All the men who received job offers
will be paroled or released within the next year.
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