Conference targets employers for hiring former offenders

Conference targets employers for hiring former offenders

The Milwaukee Re-Entry Network will host its first Employer Summit on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at The American Serb Hall, 5101 W. Oklahoma Ave., in Milwaukee from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Summit will bring together more than 100 Wisconsin employers who have job openings, with a main goal of wiping out myths that are often associated with hiring former offenders as employees, and instead showcasing this population as a viable talent pool for employment. 

The Milwaukee Re-Entry Network is a partnership made up of Wisconsin-based nonprofit organizations, government entities and community-based organizations who came together to develop an ex-offender summit for employers who currently hire former offenders and those that have not explored this option.  The summit will educate employers on the resources, benefits and facts when hiring former offenders.

The summit will feature nationally known speaker Yariela Kerr-Donovan, director of Project REACH-Resources and Education for the Advancement of Careers at Johns Hopkins University.
“Businesses recognize the value of reaching and retaining talent, however when organizations don’t consider people with criminal convictions they are missing out on a valuable talent pool,” said Angela Turner, president of the Center for Self-Sufficiency.

“Many former offenders are already equipped with skills in various trades and ready for employment,” said Janice Stricker, U. S. Probation Office, Eastern District of Wisconsin. “Having already received valuable training while incarcerated equates to a cost-savings to the employers who will hire them.  In addition, and to dispel yet another myth, employers are entitled to a tax savings in the form of a tax credit incentive (Work Opportunity Tax Credit) for hiring former offenders in full-time positions.”

The Milwaukee Re-Entry Employer Summit is sponsored by the Center for Self-Sufficiency, Wisconsin Department of Children & Families, Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, U. S. Probation Office, Eastern District of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Community Services and the YWCA.  Employers interested in participating in the Milwaukee Re-Entry Networks Employer Summit are encouraged to contact Lauren Bridgeman at the Center for Self-Sufficiency at (414) 326-3151.