Work Place Reconnections

There are many opportunities that become available when a person has access to high speed internet – including the ability to start a business from home. Until recently, those who lived in rural areas felt that they didn’t have these opportunities. Now, with the lowering of prices for satellite internet, people in all areas of the U.S. have access to the super fast speeds that people in other areas have taken for granted. Whether you’re interested in starting a pastry business, a consulting business or you want to sell your crafts from home, the internet makes it possible.

Once you have fast internet service, the sky is the limit. Let’s say that you’ve always been interested in graphic design. Instead of pounding the pavement and looking for clients in your area, you can sign on to global websites like Elance and oDesk that put freelance workers in contact with clients who need work done. Simply get a few samples up, write a smashing proposal and before you know it, you’ll have work doing something you love. Without the internet this just wouldn’t be possible. We now all have the ability to follow our dreams and make them a reality we can count on.

Hardware devices were designed to assist vocalists in live performances over forty years ago. The problem arose because recording artists would often perform in a live venue and have trouble hearing themselves in the stage monitors and therefore were challenging to hold good pitch. In some cases artists could be coached in the studio to perform with good pitch, but could not sustain the same level of performance in public. The hardware devices were also used in recording studios to improve voice pitch and their function is at first glance fairly simple. The devices would take the incoming pitch and shift it to the nearest note.

Singing software can perform the same types of operations as hardware, only the programming logic can be much more complex. For example, vibrato is a vocal technique that raises and lowers pitch, and volume, above and below a target note. If the if the singing software or hardware were to correct this, the vibrato would be removed. Another problem is that frequency depends in cycles or frequency, which means it takes a certain amount of time to detect the current pitch. And, if the pitch is moving, which is always the case, then it is challenging for the software to determine the target pitch. Fortunately, the attack or onset of pitch correction can be delayed to accommodate for both concerns and software can be much more effective than hardware.

My husband is never seen without his baseball cap.  At 40 years old, his baseball caps are his signature.  They are usually representing one of his teams, of course.  But he also wears baseball caps which are humorous, or stylish.  My first gift to him was a custom baseball cap, which he wore with pride, and it made me smile each time.   His baseball caps keep him youthful and allow him to make every outfit a tribute to something he loves!  I can’t describe how many times he is dressed up for an event in button down shirt and nice jeans, with nice leather shoes and a baseball cap.  It’s an adorable look, and as I get more and more used to him, I can’t imagine him without the cap.   For him, the best caps are the flex fit, as we have never even bothered to measure his head for the fitted caps! But the flex fit fortunately come without that tacky adjustable strap in the back. Read the rest of this entry »

Workplace ReConnections is a team of staff, volunteers, a Board of Directors, committees and involved ex-offenders dedicated to reclaiming and reconnecting ex-offenders by empowering, equipping and supporting them to become active contributors to the community.

Problem Statement

Viable job prospects can be few and far between for persons returning to the community from prison or jail, even for those who have benefited from education and vocational programming. The opportunities that do exist are limited further by laws, regulations, or policies that prohibit or discourage employers from hiring people with criminal records. Former offenders are also limited by lack of marketable skills, a positive work ethic, and basic life skills, and may also face poverty, hunger, homelessness and inadequate family support systems.

How Employment Re-entry is Mitigated by Workplace ReConnections’ Programming

Programming has a component to educate employers about financial incentives, such as the Federal Bonding Program, Work Opportunity Tax Credit, Welfare-to-Work programs, and first-source agreements, which make a person who was released from prison a more appealing prospective employee. The willingness of employers to hire this population can be increased if a third-party intermediary is involved and if they are informed about financial incentives and protections. Programming also has a mechanism for reviewing employment laws that affect the employment of people based on criminal history, as well as efforts to eliminate those provisions that are not directly linked to improving public safety. Support programming and case management address material needs, while employment readiness/retention instruction and the transitional employment programming provide critical job search/ retention skills and appropriate job site work habit practice.