Covation Center

Prison life doesn’t always mean sitting in a cell all day.

For many aspiring individuals, there are education opportunities and even many in-prison jobs. This means that when a person is released on parole, they have had the opportunity to spend months or years learning about a field of work.

For a potential employer, this is a valuable labor resource to tap into.

For episode four of the Covation Center’s From Bars to Business podcast, Dr. Steve Brady talks with Theresa Kohler, of CareerLink, about many inmates’ “Pathway to Transformation” as they spend their prison years preparing for a new start and a new career.

This podcast series is funded through a grant from the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania.

The post From Bars to Business: Pathway to Transformation appeared first on Covation Center.

The path to redemption can be taken by anyone. And for many, it can be instrumental in their successful reentry into the community.

For Abdul-Malik Walker the 10 years he spent in prison were not wasted. He used the time to study and get certified with a number of HVAC licenses and other certificates. After completing his minimum required time served, he was approved for parole.

Upon leaving prison, Walker was welcomed into the supportive arms of family and friends, a blessing that he credits with much of his success over the past two years.

In today’s podcast, Walker talks about his journey to find work and start his own business since reentering the community.

This podcast series is funded through a grant from the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania.

The post From Bars to Business: Path to Redemption appeared first on Covation Center.

There aren’t many things in this life that we can do on our own. Often, we are only as good as the support systems with which we surround ourselves.

A stable job (with coworkers, responsibilities, and a paycheck) is one of those support systems. But getting, and keeping, a job is difficult, especially if you have a criminal background, no drivers license or aren’t used to a standard working schedule.

In this week’s From Bars to Business podcast, Kori Amos, of Flagger Force, talks with Covation Center Executive Director Dr. Steve Brady,

Amos says Flagger Force is proud to boast about many of its employees who said they couldn’t find jobs anywhere else due to their criminal backgrounds. Through Flagger Force’s Second Chance program, justice-involved individuals are offered opportunities that they may otherwise not have received.

And most importantly, it’s not about just giving them jobs, Amos said. After all, it’s not charity.

Instead, it’s about taking their background barriers off the table and simply evaluating them as if they were any other applicant. Then once they get the job, they simply need to do the job.

Find out more about Flagger Force’s Second Chance program in the full podcast:

This podcast series is funded through a grant from the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania.

The post From Bars to Business: It’s Not Charity appeared first on Covation Center.

Have you ever struggled to get a job? Constantly checked your email for a response to your application? Felt that nervous anticipation before walking in the door to your first interview?

We’ve all been there.

But what if you had something else looming over you that would make it even more difficult to get through the door – a criminal background.

Theresa Kohler, a business consultant with CareerLink, helps individuals in the criminal justice system to find work and overcoming their background barriers.

Through episode one of the Covation Center’s From Bars to Business podcast, Dr. Steve Brady talks with Kohler about CareerLink’s efforts to work with employers and encourage them to consider hiring employees with criminal backgrounds.

Faced with record-high unemployment in 2020 and 2021, many employers are more reticent to higher these individuals. Kohler discusses resources that may be available to businesses to incentivize them to re-evaluate their hiring practices.

This podcast series is funded through a grant from the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania.

The post From Bars to Business: There, but for the grace of God, go I appeared first on Covation Center.