Job Readiness
We know that healthy, sustainable communities are made of people who have a living wage and feel confident about their economic futures. For formerly incarcerated individuals to get there, earning a steady paycheck, skill development, career advancement, and financial literacy is crucial. Our person-centered individual plan provides for these important aspects of economic stability.
While justice involved citizens face many employment barriers, the job market has certainly changed recently with more employers hiring individuals with past offenses. The lack of skills and experience that are required in the labor market is still a significant barrier and returning citizens often lack the soft skills that employers look for. Our employment readiness plan focuses on creating exposure and opportunities in education, skill building/development and career exploration. >Beginning with a complete assessment upon release, participants are matched with jobs that meet their individualized skills and aptitudes.
Financial literacy
We feel that sustainable economic stability should include financial literacy. HMSA has partnered with national banks and financial institutions to ensure financial literacy workshops are available to assist with establishing bank accounts and managing money. Participants benefit from the workshops by identifying and prioritizing their financial goals, understanding financial banking I credit and living with in a realistic budget. HMSA augments the traditional budgeting section by providing resources for food and clothing.
Job Training
These services are designed to place people into market-demand jobs that match their interests and transferable skills. Our plan provides for all participants to achieve independence and economic self-sufficiency. We will accomplish this strategy by collaborating with community organizations and resources and by leveraging the techniques and expertise we have developed in operating the OS Reentry program. This multifaceted strategy combined with HMSA's innovative culture and outcome-driven environment make us uniquely qualified to deliver a cost-effective, seamless stream of services. In cases where agents have prescribed work supplies, we have successfully procured all needed supplies to ensure participant success in their new job endeavor.
HMSA centers its training focus and initiatives based on the Industry Cluster Approach in partnership with local employment groups and industries in expanded areas such as Information and Technology, Health Care, and Manufacturing. We develop specific on-the-job training (OJT), customized training and apprenticeships with training partners and employers. Examples include:
Training School Visits - Pursuing a training or higher education pathway is a significant commitment. To help participants gain confidence in their decision to pursue a certain path, tours to training and education partners are arranged to allow the participant to see the school, meet instructors, and try on the experience.
Job Shadowing - Speakers, videos, and even hands-on activities in the office are helpful tools for exploring a certain occupation, but an even stronger resource is giving participants an opportunity to job-shadow someone.
Transitional Work/Work Experience - The best exposure to work is firsthand experience. Eligible participants will be matched with paid work experience for a test-run of specific fields. The experience will be valuable for helping team members guide participants into their next steps.
Placement and Retention
HMSA has created a comprehensive and sustainable reentry model that develops and matches participant workforce pool with the intuitive needs of local businesses and economic development efforts.
To increase our value proposition to businesses, each employer's recruitment effort is fully supported by HMSA and our subcontractor partners. We advertise open positions, recruit candidates and pre-screen candidates prior to making any referrals.
We case manage our placements and solicit regular feedback from employers on candidates who were referred for interviews and follow-up with candidates on the employer's behalf. We also follow up with the employer after candidates have been placed to see how they are performing on the job. This input is then used to identify additional qualified candidates that meet the specific needs of participating employer groups.
Employer Recruitment
We act on market driven research to draw the interest and participation of a wide range of employers looking to attract jobseekers to fill their positions. We have established employer partnerships in multiple sector industries that offer second chance and entry level opportunities, thereby cultivating relationships with business customers. By incorporating a collaborative community approach, we acquire knowledge of emerging occupations, market-demand positions and the requirements employers are seeking.