It needs this instead: Job Training / Hiring - ViaPath

Job Training / Hiring

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Partnership between leading corrections technology leaders will give incarcerated individuals preparing for reentry access to more than 1,000 U.S. employers

OCTOBER 25, 2022 (Falls Church, VA) — ViaPath Technologies, a company which facilitates connections, educational opportunities, and successful reintegration for incarcerated individuals, has formally announced a partnership with Honest Jobs, the leading national job marketplace for people affected by the criminal justice system. Individuals preparing for reentry at correctional facilities served by ViaPath will now have the ability to look for and land well-paying, in-demand jobs through Honest Jobs’ online job board.   

“An important component of successful reintegration and reducing recidivism is ensuring that incarcerated individuals have the skills and opportunities to find good paying and rewarding jobs,” said Deb Alderson, CEO of ViaPath Technologies. “ViaPath is proud to be working with Honest Jobs, an industry leader in second chance hiring which has demonstrated a proven track record of success for thousands of individuals deserving of a second chance.” 

Incarcerated individuals can access the Honest Jobs platform right from their secure Inspire® Tablet, which provides educational content, job training classes and helps maintain contact with their loved ones. Since October 2021, incarcerated users in correctional facilities across the country have completed more than 3 million hours of online course work on the Inspire® tablet.  

Honest Jobs offers job applicants a free, easy-to-use online job board of companies across the United States that they have certified as committed to fair chance hiring. In addition to help with job placement and resume writing, Honest Jobs also offers a national “Digital Resource Center” for formerly incarcerated individuals to help them with other critical post-release needs, including transportation, housing and more.     

“There is a growing movement throughout the country to remove the barriers and stigma that are often associated with people who have a criminal record,” said Honest Jobs CEO Harley Blakeman. “Through our partnership with ViaPath Technologies, we will now be able to connect more incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals with employers who are opening their doors to them.”   

It is estimated that 77 million Americans, or 1 in 3 adults, have a criminal record, and more than 600,000 individuals are released from federal and state prisons annually.  

ViaPath currently offers access to the Honest Jobs platform in 150 facilities, and projects to expand access to 158 additional facilities served by ViaPath by the end of 2022.  

About Honest Jobs 

Honest Jobs is the leading national job marketplace for people affected by the criminal justice system. Since launching in 2019, we have attracted over 1,000 companies by providing technology that makes it easy to offer fair-chance employment while helping to mitigate the risk of negligent hiring at scale. We also pride ourselves on the fact that the majority of our employees at Honest Jobs have felony convictions. To learn more, please visit honestjobs.co.  

About ViaPath Technologies

ViaPath provides advanced communications, technology and management solutions that facilitate meaningful connections, provide educational opportunities, and enable successful reintegration for both current and formerly incarcerated individuals. ViaPath is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with an employee presence throughout North America. To learn more, please visit viapath.com.

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Company CEO challenges others to hire some of the more than 600,000 formerly incarcerated individuals released annually

Since 2017, April has been known as “Second Chance Month.” With a hiring department committed to hiring the formerly incarcerated, ViaPath Technologies helps them re-enter society with gainful employment. Working with various partners, ViaPath provides everything from education and job training to self-help, money management, and assistance with job placement.

“With the current challenges many employers are facing in finding qualified talent across the U.S., companies need to ensure that individuals with criminal backgrounds receive the same consideration as other applicants and make concrete efforts to hire formerly incarcerated individuals,” said Deb Alderson, CEO of ViaPath Technologies.

Alderson’s personal experience with an incarcerated family member became a deep-seated passion for providing second chances for returning citizens. “Everyone deserves a second chance,” she added. “I encourage companies, corporations and organizations to join us in providing those second chances to the many deserving formerly incarcerated individuals.”

Recently, under Alderson’s direction, ViaPath Technologies launched a robust Reintegration Services program and is dedicating more than $5 million over the next two years to ensure its success. ViaPath provides tablets to incarcerated individuals that include educational curriculum, financial literacy courses, industry-accredited vocational certifications, life skills and training on everything from working in the restaurant industry to launching a new business and becoming an entrepreneur.

The company is working with partners to enhance its free education and training content on its tablets, as well as job boards and an employment arm that will assist the current and formerly incarcerated in finding jobs. “We don’t just talk about second chances, we provide them,” said Alderson.

Antonio Sadler is one of the company’s second chance hires. Sadler served 10 years in a prison in South Carolina. While incarcerated, he used a ViaPath Technologies tablet and says it “immediately had a positive impact.” In addition to being able to communicate with loved ones and also gain access to online educational materials, Sadler said he was able to learn life-skills from the ViaPath tablet. Today, he is a full-time associate product manager for ViaPath.

“Antonio and our other second chance hires, including both formerly incarcerated as well as justice-impacted employees, have filled critical job openings at ViaPath,” said Jessica Artz, chief human resources officer at ViaPath Technologies. “These employees are now part of our family. They go above and beyond, and have a lot to give and teach us all.”

Artz continued, “What other companies may not realize is that there are many formerly incarcerated individuals who took the initiative to further their education and gain vocational training and job skills. Their experience often makes them more qualified than candidates that just got out of school. Companies just need to commit to hiring them.”

According to the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services (HHS), more than 600,000 individuals across the U.S. are released from state and federal prisons each year. The agency also reports that more than two-thirds of those released are likely to be re-arrested within three years due to a lack of training, reintegration skills, and employment opportunities.

With ViaPath Technologies tablets in correctional facilities across the U.S., incarcerated individuals can access the necessary training and other curricula needed in preparation for reintegration and in finding and securing employment.

“We have a great group of partners and are constantly adding more to assist us in providing a wealth of content and assistance with education, career development and other resources and a chance to connect with employers,” Alderson said. “With so many employment needs across numerous industries countrywide, we see hiring formerly incarcerated as an opportunity to bridge the gap in the current employment crisis.”

“The crisis could finally force companies who wouldn’t consider hiring formerly incarcerated before, to now take a look at them,” Alderson added. “Providing a second chance is a way to break the incarceration cycle and provide companies with an eager-to-work employment pool. At the end o the day, we’re helping to ensure that those facing reintegration have access to the tools they need to be successful.”

ABout Viapath

For over 30 years, ViaPath has worked side-by-side with correctional facilities and government agencies to provide imperative technology solutions to over 1.2 million incarcerated individuals across the globe. These solutions facilitate meaningful connections, provide educational opportunities, enable successful reintegration, and strengthen operational efficiency. ViaPath is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with an employee presence throughout North America and was recognized as a 2021 Top Workplace USA by Energage.

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Company rededicates itself to transparency and helping formerly incarcerated individuals acquire successful training and employment 

To better reflect its mission and vision, GTL is now ViaPath Technologies. CEO Deb Alderson promised change when she took over the company. Her personal experience with an incarcerated family member became a deep-seated passion for the experience of families of the incarcerated and providing second chances for returning citizens. Under her leadership, ViaPath Technologies has launched an expanded Reintegration Services program and dedicated more than $5 million over the next two years to ensure its success.  

GTL started almost 33 years ago as a provider of secure telephone services for prisons and jails because it recognized the importance of connection between incarcerated individuals and their loved ones. As technology expanded, GTL segued into additional communication services and operational systems that were customized to the unique and complex security concerns of correctional facilities, all of which contribute to higher costs.  

Under Alderson’s leadership, GTL has worked to lower calling rates and provide free communication options, which have saved customers over $100 million. For the past year, the company has provided a baseline of free communications to all individuals using its systems across the U.S., and a continuing commitment of ViaPath Technologies will be to lower costs further so that families and support networks can stay in touch without financial worry. Complementary to its commitment to decreasing costs is ViaPath’s focus on increasing transparency, which includes evaluating policies and systems to simplify and improve clarity for consumers. 

ViaPath Technologies will continue to provide communication products for incarcerated individuals and their loved ones while also expanding its offerings, services, and programs. For example, the company introduced tablets in 2013, it expanded its free resources last year, and will add more in-depth content and curriculum in 2022. “Taking a holistic approach to reintegration programs to break the cycle of incarceration, our solutions deliver the support and resources individuals need to move forward as well as realize the potential of tomorrow,” said Alderson. “We want to deliver resources that forge a path through enrichment, education, and new opportunities.” 

According to the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services (HHS), more than 600,000 individuals across the U.S. are released from state and federal prisons each year. HHS also finds that more than two-thirds of those released are likely to be  re-arrested within three years. This is often attributed to a lack of training, reintegration skills, and employment opportunities. 

With this in mind, ViaPath has refocused its efforts on reintegration. The company is working with partners to provide more free education and training content on its tablets, as well as job boards and an employment arm that will assist in finding jobs. “We’re finalizing partnerships with multiple companies and organizations that will assist us in helping formerly incarcerated individuals connect with employers,” Alderson added. “With so many employment needs across numerous industries countrywide, we hope to be able to provide a solution to the employment crisis.” 

ViaPath Technologies is committed to delivering the products and services that set new industry standards. “The pandemic has shown all of us the need for connectivity, the importance of believing in a better tomorrow, and how technology can transform lives,” Alderson explained. “We want to make sure that individuals everywhere have the same opportunities—criminal records or not. As ViaPath, we can do so with purpose.” 

Press Release Contact
Email: media@viapath.com

ABout Viapath

For over 30 years, ViaPath has worked side-by-side with correctional facilities and government agencies to provide imperative technology solutions to over 1.2 million incarcerated individuals across the globe. These solutions facilitate meaningful connections, provide educational opportunities, enable successful reintegration, and strengthen operational efficiency. ViaPath is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with an employee presence throughout North America and was recognized as a 2021 Top Workplace USA by Energage.

Learn More