Envoy is working with the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association to equip manufacturers across Ohio to launch Fair Chance hiring initiatives as part of a three-year program funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration through the Good Jobs Challenge.
On Wednesday, November 8, Envoy led the justice-impacted breakout session at the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association’s (OMA) sixth annual Workforce Summit in Westerville, OH. Cassi Zumbiel, Managing Director of Envoy’s Fair Chance Employment Practice, led a panel featuring Adam Snyder, Chief Operations Officer from Talan Products, an exemplary Fair Chance employer based in Cleveland, Keilon Ratliff, President and Chief Diversity Officer from Kelly, and Sean Mitchell, Reentry Coordinator from Sinclair Community College. Envoy moderated the panel as the subject matter expert on Fair Chance hiring for the OMA's Good Jobs Challenge program, which is funded by a $23.5 million federal grant to mobilize a statewide coalition of industry sector partnerships, state agencies, and other strategic partners to recruit and upskill workers in Ohio’s manufacturing, broadband, and electric vehicle sectors.
The panel highlighted the role that different stakeholders play in Fair Chance employment, including employers, community colleges, and staffing firms. Kelly, which has distinguished itself as a Fair Chance leader through its Equity at Work program, collaborates with its client employers to build and grow Fair Chance initiatives. Kelly executive Keilon Ratliff encouraged employers that work with third-party staffing partners to discuss the policies they have in place and how they can be more inclusive to the talent they are recruiting and placing. In order to be strong partners, employers should also educate themselves on the barriers that exist for justice-impacted job seekers and keep their recruiting partners updated on their talent needs.
More resources on Fair Chance Employment will be available in 2024 through the OMA's learning community to support manufacturers and partners in learning about Fair Chance hiring.