Job center opens at Oakhill Correctional Institution

(NBC15)
Published: Nov. 12, 2018 at 4:47 PM CST
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Representatives from Wisconsin's Department of Corrections and Department of Workforce Development, along with Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch celebrated the opening of a job center on Monday at Oakhill Correctional Institution in Oregon.

This job center is the first of its kind in a Wisconsin state prison. The center helps inmates build their resumes and send them to potential employers before they are released from the facility.

Inmates can also use the center to apply for open jobs and set up interviews after their release date.

One inmate, Kenneth Shong, said he is using the center to apply for jobs in the education field. He already has some interviews set up and has even received a few tentative offers.

"That takes care of one of the biggest fears when you get closer to getting out," Shong said. "Housing is there, your family's there, but knowing that you can be productive and prosocial, it's a real concern in the back of my mind, that I want to make sure that I get out and hit the ground running and this enables that."

Kleefisch said this center is like a dream come true for her. She said this is one way to grow the state's economy by providing a labor force to Wisconsin's employers.

"You have a whole bunch of folks who are eager to jump back in and be contributors to society, and that's a message that is not lost on me and I don't think it's lost on employers either," she said.

Kleefisch said she also wants to see the center expand to include things like job interviews while inmates are still in the facility.

Through the job center, inmates have access to at least 100,000 open jobs across the state. Shong said that no matter what skills inmates have, they can find a job.

"Almost every day the conversation comes up about well hey, I’ve been convicted, can I actually find a job? And the answer is yes, and we can show you, there is places to go and people hiring," he said.

Inmates can also use the center to get resume help, career advice and job training in different fields.