National Transitional Jobs Network conference

It’s a Rural Thing:Considerations for Implementing

TJ in a Rural Context

Vermont Works for Women•Rachel Jolly, Director of Women’s Programs

Louise Mastin, Program Coordinator

Vermont Works for Women

Building Confidence

Teaching Skills

Changing Lives

Our Mission

•Vermont Works for Women helps women and

girls recognize their potential and explore,

pursue and excel in work that leads to economic

independence.

Vermont

• Population: 625,000• 77% of the state is

forested• 95% self-id as white;

most populous county: 92%

• 2130 individuals incarcerated in 2011; 11,500 under DOC supervision

• Primary industries: dairy farming, forestry, tourism

We operate in two counties

Chittenden County, which Washington County, includes VT’s largest city of population: 60,000 Burlington: population: 157,000

A bit of historyTrainings for women in the skilled trades… Brought into the prison

A bit of history• Mentoring

program• One-on-one

employment support within a ½ way house

All this experience led us to…

Transitional Jobs• The Research (no

rural examples; few all women examples)

• The Pilot: November 2008

• To Date: • Served: 160 women• Two counties

Key Partners• Heartland Alliance• Dept. of Corrections• Dept. of Labor• Vocational

Rehabilitation• United Way• VT Women’s Fund• Hendrickson

Foundation• Economic Services - RU• Employers

Our Model• Eight weeks• 82 contact hours• Graduated

decrease of classroom hours

• Scattered job sites, primarily

• One sheltered site (culinary-training)

Focus on Soft Skills• Work out the basics: childcare,

transportation, housing• Goal setting• Identifying and Addressing

Barriers• Resumes & Cover Letters• Interview Skills• Workplace Communication • Giving and Receiving Feedback• Budgeting• Literacy Skills

Trauma-Informed Lens:

• Mindfulness exercises

• Safe space• Kinesthetic

learning• Self esteem is

constant focus

Our ProcessRecruitment

Partner agencies

Word of

mouthWebsite

Self referr

alEngagement

Orientation

Application and

release

Interview and

reference check

Acceptance Referral

to other services

Employment Training program

starts

Job search

and coaching

Evaluation self and program

8 weeks 80 hours (3 weeks intensiv

e)

Volunteering and

Transitional job

Networking and

presenters

Post Program Support

1-1 meetin

gsParticipant follow up

Job coaching , job search

and job leads

Resource referral

Some Brief Biographies….• Nicki: 18 years old; no job

experience; one felony• Kristie: 30 years old;

mother of two; one felony, two misdemeanors; minimal work history

• Theresa: 35 years old ; five children – lost custody of all; 15 months incarcerated; sporadic work history

How we’re doing• 60%

employment rate

• 2-8% recidivism rate (state average for women is 32%)

• Exemplary participant and employer satisfaction

Resources we found valuable

TJ / Technical Support:• Heartland Alliance• Women’s Bean Project• CEO

Gender Responsiveness:• Stephanie Covington’s

work in gender responsiveness and women’s issues

• Alyssa Benedict’s “Rethinking Behavior Management with Female Offenders”

Trauma and substance abuse:

• Bessel Van Der Kolk’s work on trauma and trauma informed instruction including EMDR and neurofeedback

• Francine Shapiro’s work with EMDR

• Laura Parnell’s work with bilateral stimulation - tapping

Contact InformationFor more information

about any of our programs:

Visit our website at:www.vtworksforwomen.org

Or call us at: (802) 655-8900

Rachel Jolly, ext. 108Louise Mastin, ext. 503