About 30 Connecticut employers, schools, training centers and other community resources will participate in a job and resource fair Wednesday aimed at putting ex-offenders to work.
Hartford’s Chrysalis Center Inc., in coordination with the Greater Hartford Reentry Council, is hosting the first annual “Second Chance Employment and Resource Fair” at the Connecticut Expo Center on Weston Street in Hartford.
Ex-offenders will be able to talk with potential employers and apply for jobs on the spot, as well as learn about education and training to help them increase their skills.Â
Speakers at the invitation-only event will include Connecticut Corrections Department Commissioner Leo C. Arnone.
Also to speak will be Walter J. Donne, human resource manager for Lex Products and William J. Fox, president of Fox Financial Corp., whose companies have had successful experience hiring ex-offenders.
An additional benefit for employers who hire ex-offenders is the availability of federal tax credits of $2,400 given for hiring someone exiting incarceration within the past year.Â
“We hope that educating employers about these tax credits will give employers additional incentive to give individuals a second chance,” said Tanna Howard, who oversees Chrysalis’ employment services.
The fair also is sponsored in part by Chrysalis Center, Inc., Community Partners in Action, Community Solutions Inc., Career Resources, STRIDE, and the corrections department.
For more information, contact Maryellen M. Shuckerow, Chief Development Officer, Chrysalis Center, Inc., 860-263-4417 or mshuckerow@ChrysalisCenterCT.org.
