GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Two Grand Rapids organizations are teaming up with the goal of helping formerly incarcerated people reenter the workforce. Goodwill and Guiding light have partnered to enhance Goodwill's Offender Reentry Program.
"You don’t have to judge somebody for something that happened 10 or 15 years ago and has nothing to do with the kind of employee they are, the skills and experience they have or their work ethic," said Leslie Boscher, a case manger with Goodwill.
Both organizations have a history of job placement. Goodwill's offender reentry program has been running for more than 25 years, but the addition of Guiding Light's Job Post means they can better connect with manufacturing companies in the area.
Boscher says they have a far wider pool of potential employers. Goodwill provides training for building resumés, mentorship and practice interviews. Guiding Light provides the employers, and once the connection is made, they offer assistance such as transportation waivers, covered lunch costs or personal protective equipment like steel-toed boots or other PPE applicable to the job site.
"We were having trouble finding people," said Ralph Peterson, HR Manager at Auto Cast INC in Grandville. "I was trying to think of out-the-box new ways to get workers into the company."
Auto Cast has hired three employees through the pilot partnership, all of which Peterson says are hard workers and valuable members of their team. Even though the program is in its infancy, at least 10 people have found jobs at manufacturing companies in the area, earning $15 an hour.
"A lot of people don’t want to work right now," Peterson said. "So for those who do want to work we open our arms to them."
Click here for more information about Goodwill's Offender Reentry Program and here for information about Guiding Light and The Job Post.
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