By Megan Campbell, communications coordinator, Greenville Chamber
With over 28,000 advertised jobs available in Greenville County, it is time to begin looking at innovative ways to broaden the talent pool.
For those with a criminal record or a disability, there can be many barriers to gainful employment.
When there are critical jobs sitting unfilled and qualified talent waiting anxiously to contribute, the math doesn’t add up. The Workforce Forum addressed this issue and the many ways we can work together to lower our unemployment rate and put good people to work.
Look Beyond the Paperwork
Eighty million Americans have a criminal record. That’s nearly one in three people. For many ex-offenders, though they are motivated, willing, and able, the path to re-entering into the workforce can be a tumultuous one. Many employers are simply afraid to take the risk. However, what companies like Excel Machine Co. and Owens Steel have found is that ex-offenders are often exceptionally motivated to change the trajectory of their life. “People who have been incarcerated know what they want to do with their life,” says David Zelesne, CEO of Owens Steel.
Many organizations are doing good work behind the scenes to ensure that ex-offenders are job-ready. Greenville Technical College’s Emerge program examines a person’s skill set and prior learning and matches it with certifications so they can enter the workforce with credentials. South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation offers extensive job preparedness training and long-term tracking with “case managers.” Goodwill provides on-the-job training and “job tryouts,” building up both soft and technical skills.
For David Boyer, owner of Excel Machine Co., the secret to success is finding an individual with a vision, ensuring that person has the discipline to follow through, and engaging the community to provide necessary assistance. “No matter who we are, we need our community to support us in our ambitions and goals,” he says.
“Potential is the only thing that matters when hiring,” says Caroline Caldwell-Richmond of New Minds Health and Care, a local nonprofit that helps former offenders re-enter society.
Is yours an organization of second chances?
Enable the Disabled
“So much of our identity is wrapped up in our work,” says Susie Rukowski, Project SEARCH co-founder, co-director, and education specialist. The Project SEARCH High School Transition Program helps students with significant intellectual disabilities get good jobs and meaningful work. The unique, business-led, school-to-work internship program takes place entirely at the workplace. The curriculum is based solely on the work.
Nationwide, there are almost 500 Project SEARCH programs. Over 75 percent of the program’s graduates are employed, with an average hourly wage of $9.61. Many of these programs take place in health care systems.
Bon Secours St. Francis Health System has partnered with the Greenville County Schools and S.C. Vocational Rehabilitation to launch Project SEARCH locally. The program kicked off in September.
For Chris Sparrow, employment services coordinator at Able SC, disability “just means doing things a little differently.” He reports that 1 in 4 South Carolinians has a disability of some capacity. A few of the many business benefits of hiring an individual with a disability include the addition of a highly motivated employee, improved customer satisfaction, and a strengthened workplace culture. It also leads to higher productivity and better retention rates.
Become Engaged and Make a Difference
Here are some actions your business can take to broaden your talent pool:
- Examine your recruiting policies and practices. Can your equal opportunity employment statement be simplified and optimized? Do you immediately reject candidates if they have a criminal record?
- Communicate with community partners. Organizations need the help of businesses and staffing agencies. These organizations have the resources and connections to provide solutions. “Partnerships are how you’re going to be successful,” Able SC’s Sparrow says. Take advantage of the available networks.
- Have an open door and an open mind. “We just need industry to open the doors and place value based on the merit in front of you, not the past behind them,” says New Minds Health and Care’s Caldwell-Richmond.
Taking advantage of this untapped workforce may take innovation, creativity, and courage, but together we can lower the unemployment rate and fill the critical workforce gaps.
