Workforce Development
Fair Hiring
As part of its policy agenda, Growing Kings advocates for state and citywide adoption and implementation of Ban the Box (BTB) policies for all private and public sector companies, organizations, and entities. The BTB initiative is a policy of removing the conviction history check-box from job applications for those seeking new employment. Juveniles and adults who have criminal records face significant barriers to workforce opportunities. In 2016, there were approximately 856,130 juvenile arrests in the United States. According to the National Institute of Justice, close to one-third of adults in the U.S. have been arrested before age 23.
Ban the Box laws help to reduce employer biases by delaying the point at which employers learn about an applicant’s criminal record, thus, allowing employers to assess an applicant based on relevant skills and qualifications first, rather than dismissing an application based on criminal history alone. Research shows that many employers are hesitant to consider an applicant with a criminal history or preclude an applicant with a record from applying at all. The stigma associated with an arrest or conviction history is further perpetuated when hiring practices hinder individuals from obtaining employment and leave them in even more precarious circumstances.
Fair-chance hiring practices and other policies that eliminate employment barriers have demonstrated positive outcomes for individuals, communities, and institutions. Providing individuals who have a criminal record with the opportunity to work increases the likelihood of achieving financial security for themselves and their families. Growing Kings addresses fair-hiring challenges by advocating for policies that reduce and hopefully eliminate discrimination and by partnering with local corporations to increase work opportunities for young adults and youth with criminal records.
Expanding Workforce Investment Opportunities
Youth unemployment is a growing issue that leaves young people without opportunities for advancement. Nationally, Black and Latinx youth are significantly more likely than their White peers to be disconnected from engagement opportunities; PolicyLink reports that 22 percent of Black and 18 percent of Latino youth are neither working nor in school, compared with 11 percent of White youth.
Investments into youth workforce development should focus on providing comprehensive support services, creating effective career pipelines, and prioritizing the hiring and retention of boys and young men for high quality jobs and careers. Of special focus is investing in strategic partnerships and building an infrastructure that creates career paths through technical/trade-skill academies, apprenticeships, workforce training programs, and internships.
Growing Kings addresses youth workforce development and training by advocating for the removal of barriers and expanding employment opportunities for boys and young men to aid in creating increased pathways to careers and training in technical/trade-skills. Additionally, it is essential that culturally relevant marketing efforts are utilized when promoting workforce opportunities to communities of color.
Learn more (https://www.aecf.org/work/juvenile-justice/jdai/) – Annie E. Casey Foundation
Learn More (https://jlc.org/youth-advocacy) – Juvenile Law Center
Learn more (https://dys.alabama.gov/) – Alabama Youth Services
Learn More (http://www.act4jj.org/sites/default/files/resource-files/JJDPA%20Reauthorization%20Summary%20December%202018.pdf) –
Summary of the Juvenile Reform Act of 2018.