NCJET Expands in State Prisons

After a little more than a year since the start of a pilot program that allowed women to register for NCWorks at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women, the NC Jobs Exploration in Transition (NCJET) system is now available in 22 facilities and nearly 700 incarcerated men and women are able to access the system.

NCJET is a system designed to help people who have about six months remaining on their sentence find potential jobs and aid their transition into the community. The online system is designed to support individuals in jumpstarting their job search just prior to post-release and increase their chances of landing a job before or soon after getting out of prison.

Justice-involved individuals can register, create a resume, explore careers and look for possible future employment opportunities with the aid of correctional personnel (including opportunities with specified "Second Chance" employers that welcome formerly incarcerated individuals). They can match prospective jobs with the skills they've acquired before and during incarceration.

Upon release, the NCJET account is transferred to NCWorks Online, which the N.C. Department of Commerce's Division of Workforce Solutions operates. NCWorks Online has the same résumé, job search, and job application functions. The restrictions to access external sites and certain jobs that existed they were in prison are removed once they are released.

With more than 70 NCWorks Career Centers across the state, there may not be a physical location in every county, but formerly incarcerated people can search online for jobs anywhere.

NCDAC Secretary Leslie Dismukes and N.C. Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley visited NCCIW on June 30 to view NCJET and speak with justice-involved individuals. They also toured the license tag plant and spoke with Correction Enterprises staff and justice-involved workers.

"When people are released from our custody, they need employment and the means to find those jobs," Sec. Dismukes said. "NCJET allows them to use resources while they are incarcerated to prepare a resume, search for jobs, contact potential employers and be ready to interview for employment after release."

Added Sec. Lilley: "Our two departments enjoy a strong partnership, built around our shared commitment to expanding opportunity, helping more people participate in the workforce, and making even more connections with employers who will hire them. The innovative efforts by NCDAC, our Division of Workforce Solutions Information Technology team, reentry staff and NCWorks Career Centers represent part of why North Carolina is America's top state for workforce development, and they help us meet the goals of the Governor's Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships."

The goal for both agencies is to have computers or kiosks in every state prison. With about 96% of all incarcerated people eventually returning to the public, NCJET has the potential to reduce recidivism and increase the job force.

"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."