The Northeast Ohio Correctional Center (NEOCC) recently gifted $10,000 to the Regional Chamber Foundation to support the Chamber’s strategic efforts in growing the Valley’s workforce.
NEOCC, located Hubbard, and its parent company CoreCivic, provide evidence-based programs such as educational, vocational, substance abuse and faith-based offerings that help inmates develop the skills and values they need to be successful when they leave prison.
As the Chamber has launched strategies to grow the population to help meet rapid job creation and increase workforce participation rates for the local region by identifying and removing barriers to employment, the work and mission of the two organizations closely align.
“We are teaching those at our facility career skills so they will be ready for the workforce when they’re released. This will help bridge the gap for unemployment and provide work opportunities to individuals, thereby encouraging them to stay in our community,” said NEOCC Warden Doug Fender.
“We are pleased to support the Regional Chamber to help strengthen and grow the Valley’s workforce and ensure our partners are aware of the training and skills that are being offered at NEOCC so that we can start connecting them to our local employment.”
The Chamber’s strategy to increase housing inventory is also one that Fender is passionate about, as he struggles to recruit talent from outside the area to fill open positions at NEOCC due to the shortage.
Regional Chamber President & CEO Guy Coviello said, “We're fortunate to have a good corporate neighbor like CoreCivic in our community. They make sure that a high volume of returning citizens have GEDs. They provide programs dedicated to helping released individuals lead successful lives as employed, taxpaying residents.
This is another tool to help us increase the labor participation rate so that we have enough human capital to fill more jobs. With this donation, we can commit vital resources toward helping our businesses have enough workers so they're competitive in their respective industries.”