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Director Stanton highlights Back to Work, 'Second Chance' and veterans programs; committee asks about employer barriers
Summary
Cheryl Stanton told the committee DEW’s workforce efforts have placed nearly 400,000 people in jobs in recent years and reported about 75% placement success in Back to Work and reentry pilots; members probed employer reluctance to hire ex‑offenders and asked about tech‑school pathways.
In her opening remarks, Cheryl Stanton emphasized the agency’s shift toward workforce development and said DEW had "put nearly 400,000 people to work" over a recent three‑year period, while unemployment dropped from 8.1% to 4.4% since June 2013.
Stanton described the Back to Work partnership with Transitions and the United Methodist Church — a five‑week program for homeless job seekers with an approximately 75% placement rate — and a "Second Chance" effort with the Department of Corrections and local work‑release programs showing similar success rates. She also outlined several workforce programs DEW administers under federal law (Wagner‑Peyser, veterans services, trade assistance, RESEA) and noted the agency now meets most federal performance measures.
Committee members pressed on employer barriers to hiring people with criminal records and asked whether training while incarcerated or tax incentives had improved outcomes. Stanton said DEW maintains lists of willing "second‑chance" employers, educates job seekers on the Work Opportunity Tax Credit and federal bonding, and partners with correctional and local agencies to provide training prior to release.
Members and staff discussed technical education pathways and apprenticeships as ways to bridge hiring gaps, and Stanton said sector strategies and regional data are being used to align K–12, technical colleges and business needs. The committee requested additional outcome data for specific pilots and populations.
