Ex-Convicts Get Second Chance at Employment through TRADE Program

Center for People In Need’s (www.cfpin.org) TRADE (Tackling Recidivism and Developing Employability) Program is designed to help persons who have been previously incarcerated within the last 18 months to become productive and independent members of society. To accomplish this, the TRADE Program provides job readiness skills, resume writing, and vocational training in welding, residential construction, forklift and warehouse, and computer skills.

Equipped with new skills and confidence, participants will be better equipped to seek out meaningful employment that could lead to a career path. In addition, Center for People In Need, alongside other community partners, sponsors free bi-annual job fairs to give companies and job seekers a chance to discuss job opportunities. The next job fair will be in November—stay tuned for details to be announced.

Considering employees are the strongest asset of any business, employers often look for the most dedicated and talented candidates in the application pool. However, one of the most overlooked groups of applicants are members of the community who have previously been incarcerated. Struggling to fill openings amid a tight labor market, hundreds of employers in the Lincoln area are starting to reject the stigma that clings to ex-offenders and offering them second chance employment as they rejoin society by partnering with Center for People In Need.

To learn more about Center for People In Need, visit www.cfpin.org. If you are an employer looking for employees or would like to attend the next job fair, please contact Annette McRoy, TRADE Program employment developer, at amcroy@cfpin.org / (402) 476-4357 Ext. 250.