Delaware has too many open jobs without the workers to fill them.
Wilmington has too many residents who are unemployed, under-employed, and seeking stable jobs that pay livable wages.
Jac Rivers struggles with that paradox every day as a vice president program officer on JPMorganChase’s Global Philanthropy team. JPMorganChase has made second-chance programs, focused on providing resources and support for individuals impacted by the criminal justice system, a cornerstone of its philanthropic efforts for years.
These programs are sorely needed as one in three Americans has a criminal record.
“That is a statistic that we can’t ignore,” Rivers said. “Criminal record or not, we have to work collaboratively to build an ecosystem in Delaware where everyone can participate and work to take care of themselves and their families.”
But past programs haven’t fully succeeded in bridging the gap between employers and the available workforce, even in a state with only 63 available workers for every 100 open jobs.
“So we really had to think differently about our approach,” Rivers said. “My goal was to figure out real and sustainable bridges to employment. I had to figure out how to spur the business community in concert with local partners. When building an inclusive economy, everybody has to play their part, and it’s important that businesses, community members and policy members come together to collaborate on solutions.”
The result: The Delaware Equitable Hiring Initiative (EHI), designed to help employers unlock the enormous potential of Wilmington’s “hidden workers” – a diverse group that includes caregivers, veterans, immigrants, individuals that have been justice-impacted, and more – with a three-pronged program that includes employer recruitment, talent development, and community engagement through credible messengers.
To be clear, these workers aren’t actively hiding; but rather, they may have been overlooked by employers with traditional hiring practices.
“Our workforce development community partners are doing the work to upskill talent and prepare them for sustainable wage jobs that lead to careers with mobility,” Rivers said. “There’s a disconnect for some job seekers however, to make connections to the myriad of job opportunities at middle- to large-sized employers. There’s also a need for pre-application support, such as resume building and interview preparation, which is all critical to career development.”
“Delaware has skilled talent; but there are still some challenges connecting that talent to employers paying a sustainable wage,” Rivers said.
To participate in EHI, employers must pay at least $18 an hour and offer benefits.
“That’s really the only way to build an equitable economy,” she said.
Many Delaware employers agree that it’s the right thing to do for the community and it makes good business sense, however there were still barriers at the hiring level. JPMorgan Chase set out to learn why this was happening and supported extensive research to identify the need to adjust the way companies interpret criminal background reports, approach their hiring practices, and use tools that often disqualify candidates who may have the right skills but the “wrong” work experience.
Rivers looked at “fair-chance” hiring models to identify best practices that work with transforming employer behaviors. Now, with the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) serving as the EHI project manager and leading the charge, participating employers will receive personalized technical assistance to identify and address hiring barriers focused on skills-based hiring, best practices for individualized assessments, connections to workforce resources and opportunities for peer-to-peer learning.
“I love progress and technology, but I believe there’s times where the human hand has to kind of step in and touch the process,” said Coley Harris, Executive Director of Delaware Family Restoration Services. “And I think this is one of those times, those pivotal times, where we can do that.”
Harris is one of JPMorganChase’s “credible messengers,” a team of three who have been going out to community places like churches and barber shops and community events in Wilmington, focusing on the 19801, 19802 and 19805 zip codes where there are deep pockets of concentrated poverty and limited access to economic opportunity. The messengers talk with residents, gather data, and identify good prospects for the EHI program – individuals who are at least 18 years old, who have graduated high school, have stable living arrangements and some work history.
“The first thing that we’re doing is not over promising anybody anything,” Harris said. “And we value their time. We value their information that they are sharing with us, and we make a commitment – part of a long standing commitment – to make sure that we utilize the information towards the benefit of the community.”
With the RBIJ working on employer training, and Harris and the credible messengers working on community engagement, that leaves room for local community partners to join in and provide the third prong of EHI – talent development and training.
“Although initially powered by JPMorganChase, EHI was intended from the very beginning to be a local community effort—informed by community and run by community,” Rivers said.
EHI will be housed within a local foundation with a governing board comprised of local leaders and of course, the credible messengers representing the community voice.
For businesses, the value proposition is simple.
“Through EHI, we are going to help employers recruit and retain skilled local and reliable talent,” Rivers said. “EHI is going to serve as a critical talent pipeline provider. It will identify local talent, work with employers to develop a robust training curriculum that meets their needs, and present the employers with a pool of qualified, trained candidates from which they can hire.”
The Delaware Transit Corporation (a division of the Delaware Department of Transportation) and the Delaware Department of Human Resources joined the project as its first partner employers earlier this year. Momentum seems to be building – now with six employer partners, Rivers said.
Harris hopes EHI will help reduce a bottleneck in the employment pipeline in Wilmington. As EHI helps under-employed workers move into higher-paying positions, entry-level jobs will open up for a new generation to get their start in the workforce.
In the community, people have been receptive to the idea, and now with employers on board, Harris is excited to start connecting people with jobs.
“I hope this program is able to do exactly what it is that we say we want to do: Create a pipeline that leads to employment,” Harris said. “Connecting people with better paying jobs and jobs that have some runway and allow for people who have the skill and the drive and the determination to find their way through.”
As an employer focused on building equitable and inclusive economies, JPMorganChase has hired over 500 individuals with criminal backgrounds in Delaware from 2019 through October 2024.To learn more about the Delaware Equitable Hiring Initiative and get involved, go to: rbij.org/delaware-ehi
For informational/educational purposes only: Views and strategies described may not be appropriate for everyone and are not intended as specific advice/recommendation for any individual. Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but JPMorgan Chase & Co. or its affiliates and/or subsidiaries do not warrant its completeness or accuracy. You should carefully consider your needs and objectives before making any decisions and consult the appropriate professional(s). JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its affiliates are not responsible for, and do not provide or endorse third party products, services, or other content.
Deposit products provided by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal Opportunity Lender.
The post JPMorganChase seeks to match skilled workers with Wilmington employers appeared first on Spotlight Delaware.