Nearly two dozen incarcerated individuals received conditional job offers during a recent hiring event at California State Prison, Solano.
The civil service workshop and hiring event for incarcerated individuals was held November 17. Twenty-three individuals received conditional job offers for employment from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) before returning to their communities.
“This hiring event is successful thanks to state agencies coming together to improve the lives of others,” said CALPIA Acting General Manager Bill Davidson. “CALPIA thrives through partnerships. So, it is rewarding to see a smooth transition for those individuals who are about to leave prison.”
Partnerships help provide jobs before parole
CALPIA joined the following agencies to hold the workshop:
- Caltrans
- California Government Operations Agency
- CDCR
- California Department of Human Resources
- California Workforce Development Board
“Following the completion of their training, Caltrans is proud to offer these Californians jobs in maintaining our highways,” said Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin. “These jobs can lead to rewarding careers in civil service. Caltrans is pleased to partner in this effort.”
The hiring event was the second to take place at CSP-Solano. A total of 34 took the entry-level Highway or Landscape Maintenance Worker exam. In all, 33 successfully passed one or both exams. Since the first workshop and hiring event in 2019, 33 incarcerated applicants received conditional job offers from Caltrans.
The $37 million Prison to Employment Initiative, a three-year workforce and reentry services integration across the state’s 14 regions, aims to improve labor market outcomes for the state’s justice-involved and formerly incarcerated populations.
Joe Flores, the lead representative for the Prison to Employment Initiative and Corrections Workforce Partnership for the California Workforce Development Board, said there are major wins to celebrate.
“Through this coordinated partnership, we can help incarcerated individuals into post-release jobs,” said Flores. “This civil service hiring event leaves a blueprint for other public agencies to follow.”
Those who received job offers will be paroled or released within the next year.
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