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Dignity through Work: Teaching Computer Coding, Job Readiness and Entrepreneurship to Parolees and Probationers
SESSION INFO
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
Session Type: Workshop
Many parolees and probationers have difficulty finding work. Often, they are competing for limited unskilled low paying jobs with people who don’t have the stigma of a criminal record. The technology industry is growing, and high paying jobs are plentiful, but most offenders don’t have the skills for these positions. Persevere is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to empower justice-involved men and women to succeed through the development of the skills they need to be employable within the technology industry worldwide. The program teaches coding, employability skills, entrepreneurship, and life skills, and also provides work experience and job placement services. Participants earn Front End Developer and Full Stack Developer certifications, and they participate in supervised work experience that gives them the experience they need to be competitive in the field. This workshop highlights how this programis being implemented in various settings.
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SESSION PRESENTERS
Sean Hosman
CEO, Persevere
Sean Hosman, Persevere's Founder and President, has over 20 years of experience in the field of corrections and community supervision. Chief Executive Officer in a technology company, he found himself in jail as the result of drug addiction. When he emerged from the ordeal, clean and sober since then, he realized that he could earn a living because he had advanced technology skills and the soft skills that help people get and keep work, but many others with criminal records, even those with non-violent criminal records, could not. Doors were closed on them at almost every company to which they applied merely because of their criminal records. Also, most did not have the skills necessary to qualify for skilled jobs, so even if they could find a job, it was usually a low paying one, rarely providing enough income to support a family, or meaningful fulfillment. He started working with men in this situation one at a time, helping them learn computer skills, life skills and then giving them a job with his company. His own criminal record was actually an asset when working with these individuals because he understood what they faced and he knew how to overcome the challenges. He started by helping one man. One became two, and then many, but he soon realized that while the difference he could make working with one man at a time was valuable, it was less effective than if he could develop an organization to serve many.
Stacey Books Mesko
Program Manager, Persevere
Stacey Books-Mesko is the Program Manager of Persevere, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping justice-involved individuals learn to code and develop all the skills they need to acquire meaningful, well-paying jobs in the technology field. Not only does she have 17 years of experience in the human resources and management fields, but she is an ex-offender herself, and she is committed to helping others move beyond their pasts to create successful futures for themselves
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