Session Recording

If you registered for the virtual 2021 NASWA Veterans Conference and need the password to view the session recording, please contact naswa-meetings@naswa.org
 

Michigan - Incarcerated Veterans Workshop

For incarcerated Veterans, getting a job after prison can be discouraging. Many experience the feeling that no one will hire them because of perceived biases about people in the prison system. This session will share how the Michigan Veterans Employment Services, partnered with the Department of Corrections, have helped nearly 300 incarcerated Veterans reintegrate into Michigan’s workforce.

Presenters: Joseph Swyrtek*, Regional Manager, and Steven McLane*, Veterans Career Advisor, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity

Wisconsin - Connecting the Dots: Inclusivity of all Veterans Pathway from Incarceration to the Community

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections partnered to establish the first job center in a correctional institution in Wisconsin. The Oakhill Correctional Institution offers services for approximately 20 hours per week with integrated agency staff providing direct services to persons in our care (inmates) including: career readiness programming, job search assistance, resume development, services for veterans, apprenticeship, and assistance for individuals with disabilities. Its innovative design allows for a continuum of services from pre-released to post-release with an integration of reentry and workforce services. This dramatically improved performance and allowed veterans to be job ready, benefit informed, resource connect, or in some cases – job offer in hand the moment they were released from incarceration.

Presenters: Gary Meyer*, Director, Office of Veterans Employment Services; Alfonzo Garcia*, Veterans Employment and Training Supervisor; and Becky Kikkert, Director, Office of Special Initiatives, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

(*) Denotes the individual is currently serving or is a Veteran of the United States military.