Governor Pat Quinn

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• Governor Pat Quinn

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Your Workforce Choices

• Finding Qualified Employees Through the IL
  Department of Employment Securitys
• Re-entry Employment Service Program (RESP)

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Overview of the Re-Entry Employment Service
Program

• Who is RESP? / Who do we serve?
• Why did we develop the RESP?
• What services do we offer? / What are the
  benefits to you?
• When can you use our services?
• Where can you get our services?
• Lets begin

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Who are we?

• Illinois Department of Employment Securitys
  Re-entry Employment Service Program
• We are Employment Specialists
• We specialize in creating job opportunities for
  formerly incarcerated individuals

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Who do we serve?

• Businesses
• Formerly incarcerated job seekers
• Our goal is a precise match between the business
  and the job seeker

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Why

• Have we developed the Re-entry Employment Service
  Program?

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1 reason for recidivism

• According to the Illinois Criminal Justice
  Information Authority, it is lack of employment
  upon release.
• According to the H.I.R.E Network, employment
  reduces recidivism this is where businesses can
  help us help our job seekers.

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• With the high number of returnees in Illinois and
  the proven impact of employment on recidivism,
  the state must address this populations needs
• The IDES solution is the Re-Entry Employment
  Service Program (RESP)

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Approaching Workforce Development

• Chicago Metropolis 2020 is an organization of
  Chicago Business leaders whose focus is to
  achieve the best possible conditions of living
  for all residents of Metropolitan Chicago.
• Chicago Metropolis 2020 suggests we tap the job
  potential of the unemployed and underemployed
  segments of the population (i.e. formerly
  incarcerated) in order to sustain a prosperous
  region

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How can we do this?

• By turning the unemployed, formerly incarcerated
  individual into a tax-paying consumer!

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The RESP goal is

• to provide qualified employees to businesses
  while reducing the rate of recidivism in Illinois.

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The RESP plan

• Is to create a business relationship between you
  (the business) and us (the IDES/RESP)
• We provide our services
• We ask that you provide
• Job opportunities
• An environment which supports retention

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What can we offer you?

• One-on-one business relationship, privacy
• Services Saving You Time and Money
• Human resource services
• Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)
• Fidelity Bonding

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The Business Relationship

• PRIVATE
• Focused on your requirements
• Focused on your business environment
• Focused on your goal your bottom line!!

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Think about

• How much you spend on recruiting
• Advertising
• New hire training costs
• Time, etc.

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By providing pre-screening

• for your companys qualifications What are your
  needs?
• for job seeker qualifications
• Clarify criminal records
• Skills
• Work history
• Our job seekers will
• Meet your needs
• Be qualified and job ready
• Be motivated to work

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Illinois Skills Match (ISM)

• NO COST internet-based job matching system
• Database of qualified job seekers

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Work Opportunity Tax Credit

• A federal tax credit which encourages businesses
  to hire targeted, difficult to employ job
  seekers, including qualifying formerly
  incarcerated felons
• Can reduce employer federal taxes by as much as
  2400 per new hire

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How WOTC works

• Credit equal to 40 of first 6000 in wages (up
  to 2400)
• Businesses must retain employees for a minimum of
  10 weeks _at_ 40 hours per week (400 hours)
• RESP will assist in
• completion of pre-screening notice (to be done
  on or before day of hiring)
• submission of notice and letter of request within
  21 days of employee start date

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How to apply for WOTC

• Contact your RESP Specialist or the WOTC
  Coordinator nearest you

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Fidelity Bonding Program Offers insurance
protection for employers

• Provides individual fidelity bonds for job
• applicants (with a job offer) who have been
• denied commercial coverage due to
• Arrest, conviction or dishonorable discharge
• Since 1966, 43,000 bonds have been issued
• Default rate remains at about 1

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• Available to businesses at NO COST
• Bonds issued at the IDES office nearest you
• Employers apply for bonding through the RESP,
  Illinois Employment Training Center (IETC)
  Coordinator or State Bonding Coordinator
• Insurance becomes effective on date of hire

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Other incentives for you

• Enterprise Zone Tax Credits
• Workforce Investment Act
• TIF Works Chicago

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as well as

• Partnerships with support agencies throughout
  Illinois

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But

• The most important aspect of working with the
  Re-entry Employment Service Program is

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All of these services save you time and money

• This savings adds up to meeting your goal of an
• INCREASED BOTTOM LINE !!

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When can you use our services?

• When youre looking for full- or part-time
  employees
• When you need seasonal employees

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Where can you get our services?

• Direct contact with RESP personnel
• Chicago Algie Crivens
• Statewide Patricia Rusoff
• Trained Re-entry Liaisons in each IDES local
  office

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Begin the relationship

• Consider placing a job order today !

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Open discussion

• How many of you have positions available at this
  time?
• How many of you would consider hiring qualified
  candidates from this program to fill those
  positions?

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Contact information

• Algie Crivens, Algie.Crivens_at_illinois.gov ,
  312-793-1597
• Patricia Rusoff, Patricia.Rusoff_at_Illinois.gov
• , 312-793-9741
• IETC Re-entry liaison nearest you