Employer Training: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey wanted to deepen their understanding of criminal-records and employment law for their HR professionals. They wanted to overcome barriers to hiring skilled workers with criminal records for “landside” employment opportunities at John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty airports.
The Criminal Justice and Employment Initiative (CJEI) worked with the Port Authority's Office of Second Chance Employment at their Council for Airport Opportunity (CAO) to design and deliver custom training to their senior HR leaders.
The training focused on best practices for hiring job seekers with past involvement with the criminal legal system. This helped HR professionals to better understand the benefits of hiring justice-involved people and address misconceptions about workers with criminal records. This customized curriculum helped the Office of Second Chance Employment to support its commitment to integrating qualified candidates with criminal records into the workforce.
Expanding the Talent Pool
COVID-19 and increasing unemployment have exacerbated inequalities for workers with criminal records. Employers are now faced with an opportunity to diversify their workforce and address systemic inequalities within their ranks. Expanding their talent pool to include people with criminal records is becoming increasingly attractive.The mission of CAO is to identify and address the critical employment needs of the communities surrounding the New York and New Jersey Metropolitan airports, while at the same time responding to the hiring needs of the airport tenants and the aviation industry.
In an effort to reduce barriers to gainful employment for justice-involved individuals, CJEI collaborated with CAO to educate employers about their legal obligations and responsibilities with respect to employment of people who have been involved in the criminal justice system. Education included relevant Ban the Box statutes, Human Rights laws, and federal laws―including Title VII and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. CJEI also provided information about the background screening process and how to interpret a background check with respect to criminal history and consumer credit issues.
“The program was extremely beneficial to the Port Authority recruiters to understand the background checking process in its totality.”
Marcie Brown, Supervisor, Talent Acquisition, Port Authority of NY/NJ
“The training was very professional, informative and timely. All were very prepared and knowledgeable.”
Verdia Noel, Director Business Development, Council for Airport Opportunity
“Well run zoom session. Felt very participative as well as extremely educational and effective. Case studies were excellent.”
Joseph Danko, Director, City Solutions, Jacobs Engineering
About CJEI
The Criminal Justice and Employment Initiative (CJEI) improves employment opportunities for people with criminal records by designing and delivering legal employment training to close information gaps and implement best practices with an aim towards integrating job seekers with criminal records into the workforce.
To learn more about our training, visit the the CJEI website.