Topic: Everything Education / Career Resource Centers – An Emerging Strategy for Improving Offender Employment Outcomes

The National Institute of Corrections is pleased to announce the release of Career Resource Centers – An Emerging Strategy for Improving Offender Employment Outcomes. This information-rich bulletin provides a step-by-step guide for setting up a Career Resource Center in a correctional facility, a parole or probation office, or a community-based organization. It includes a companion, multimedia DVD that contains many of the resources needed to operate an effective center. Through an easy-to-use menu that parallels the written text, you can watch videotaped interviews with practitioners, install career assessment software, and read dozens of documents related to career exploration, offender reentry, collaboration building and much more. For your no cost copy of this important bulletin, call NIC’s information center at 1 (800) 877-1461 and ask for item number 023066 or visit NIC on the web at http://nicic.gov/features/library/default.aspx?library=023066.

A one-minute video describing the bulletin and DVD can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYcivEkojhA

Topic: Everything Education / No-Cost Software Download from NIC: Online/Kiosk Employment Application Simulation

In response to the growing use of online and kiosk employment applications, the Offender Workforce Development Division of the National Institute of Corrections has developed simulation software that allows offenders to practice completing an employment application on personal computers that do not have access to the Internet. The software is available as a free download or on CD and is compatible with the Windows® operating system.

According to John Moore, Chief of the Offender Workforce Development Division of the National Institute of Corrections, “many of the prisoners being released from correctional facilities are ill-prepared to apply for jobs that have an online or kiosk-based employment application owing to their inexperience with computers and the Internet.” Moore adds that “most jails and prisons do not allow prisoners to access the Internet, creating a barrier for preparing inmates to compete in today’s technologically driven human resources environment.”

The software developed by the National Institute of Corrections overcomes this barrier by simulating the experience of completing an online application. The software also educates the user about online applications, provides a printable worksheet that can be used to prepare offenders for completing these applications, and allows the user to print out the entries made during the simulation. Context sensitive help is provided throughout the simulation.

The Online/Kiosk Employment Application Simulation is suitable for corrections, probation, and parole agencies as well as faith-based and community organizations. It is available at no cost from the National Institute of Corrections through the agency’s Information Center. To obtain a copy of the software, you may download or order it on th web by going to http://www.nicic.gov/Library/022996. You may also obtain a copy by calling the Information Center at 1-800-877-1461 or emailing asknicic@nicic.org. Request item # 022996.