One thing Kathy Gill was sure about when she entered the Arizona State Prison Lewis Complex 40 miles outside of Phoenix in western Maricopa County, is she would find an attentive audience. Her potential job trainees would like nothing better than to shrug off their orange jump suits and get a taste of freedom, even if it meant being in a harness and clipped to a tower a few hundred feet in the air. She also had assistance from a man who’s climbed a ladder or two himself, the Governor of Arizona, Doug Ducey.
From the Governor’s viewpoint, he was saving the taxpayers of his state money by initiating a program, the Lewis Sunrise Employment Program, that helped these inmates transition back into society. Not only does housing prisoners, many of them there as drug offenders, many of them veterans, cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars a year but the rate of the population has grown by 14 percent over the past decade.
Last Monday, the prison held a job fair for inmates and many companies participated who were willing to look past a non-starter of a resume that featured a felony conviction and offer them a chance to change their future. Gill, representing her tower instruction and safety training company, Telecom Technical was among them.
“We were walked through the yard to several units for our brief presentations of various career fields we represent to the 100 or more inmates,” Gill said. “They listened very intently and you can feel their excitement, hope, and energy knowing people are ready to give them a second chance,” she said.
To her surprise, the governor was fairly fluent in talking about 4G-to-5G upgrades. He ended on a positive note thanking both TelTech and the prisoners at the table, wishing them success in our industry. With TelTech’s 100% success rate for job placement for the formerly incarcerated, the Governor left them in good hands.
“The skill sets we are finding among prisoners is surprisingly good,” Gill said. “Not only do we see bachelors and even master’s degrees, but NCCCO crane operators, CDL licensed, Welders, and telecom college credits. But many of them never knew this opportunity existed.”
Gill is not just giving lip-service to people wanting to hear a hopeful message: one of her job prospects starts his training today at her TelTech campus after completing his DES (AZ Dept. of Economic Security) requirements.
She has also reached out to women as well, having participated in a recent DES-sponsored job fair in Tucson. “We met the only female ex-prisoner attending,” Gill said. “She had asked for help with a job because she has an electrical background, college credits and is an aspiring electrician. Unfortunately, when looking at her resume, she was told by some to only list “housekeeper” as it would get her a job faster and this mentality is what keeps prisoners’ self-confidence at a low.”
“We are proud to educate these men and women and incorporate them into classes that include experienced tower climbers.” Gill said.
For more information about Kathy Gill’s programs and hiring qualified tower techs, see her website.
August 21, 2017
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