The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction and the North Carolina Department of Commerce are expanding access to the NC Jobs Exploration in Transition system, known as NCJET, following the success of an initial pilot program.
NCJET is now available in 22 correctional facilities and has registered nearly 700 men and women. The system was developed by Geographic Solutions in partnership with the state and is built on the company's Virtual OneStop Reentry Employment Opportunities, or VOS REO, platform.
Designed specifically for correctional environments, VOS REO helps justice-impacted individuals prepare for employment and connect with workforce resources as they approach release. Geographic Solutions' platform can be customized to reflect each client's identity, programs, and workforce infrastructure. In North Carolina, the technology has been branded as NCJET and integrated with the statewide NCWorks Online system.
The system has been highly effective. A little more than a year since its implementation, several justice-impacted individuals shred their stories in a recent article published on Correction Connection, the NC Department of Adult Correction's Blog.
“This is a great thing,” said Candra Mullins, the associate warden of programs at medium-custody Albemarle Correctional Institution – one of the non-Correction Enterprises designated reentry facilities. “We piloted it last fall and it has been successful. Our peer support men have been open to it.”
Samuel Mayfield, who has been housed at Albemarle Correctional Institution since April 2005 and is scheduled to be released in 2032, has instructed others on how to use the system. He assists the men in working on the laptops in the education classroom, setting up accounts and answers any other question. He sees this as a win/win situation for the men as well as the community.
“This has been very beneficial to me,” said Mayfield, who received his associate degree in business administration from Stanly Community College while incarcerated. “And think about the offender once he gets out of prison and comes into your community. You don’t want them to return without any fundamental skills when they come back into society. This is a tool you can use that’s big to help yourself and keep the public safe.”
NCWorks has more than 70 career centers across the state. When an offender completes their incarcerated time, they can go to a center or access service virtually by logging in with their registration. The same username and password access from NCJET works across both systems, allowing the individual to continue their job search with their saved information.
“The more successful our justice-involved individuals can be, the safer our communities can be,” said Torrey Leach, the Workforce Development Manager for Correction Enterprises and one of the driving forces behind NCJET. “It started as an idea, and it’s grown into a vision to assist the incarcerated.”
Parts of this article first originated at the NC Department of Adult Correction's Blog. Read the article in its entirety by visiting Correction Connection.