0816_TOEFL-Test-and-Score-Manual-1997

208 ● 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business
Funded by $2 million in federal stimulus money distributed by the
state of New York, the Green Career Center (www.greencareercenter.org)
provides ex-convicts with two weeks of computer and career development
skills, followed by four weeks of skills training.
It opened in the spring of 2010. By the fall, 105 people had participated
in training programs and 67 graduated, according to John Valverde, director
of the center. “Our program gives business owners a chance to hire
someone and decide if they want to keep them on a full-time basis,” said
Valverde. “We feel strongly that our graduates can compete with anyone
that’s out there looking for a job.”
He said many participants learn a trade in prison, but lack the computer
and social skills needed to land a good-paying job in the real
world.
So far, dozens of small businesses have hired graduates of the program.
About 20 percent of the graduates qualify for wage subsidies, which reimburses
employers up to $9 an hour for three months. Many states offer
wage subsidy programs to encourage companies to hire disadvantaged
workers, so check with your state’s labor or employment development
department.
“I have had great success with Osborne graduates, and I encourage
other employers to give them a try,” said Frank Cruz, president of Direct
Environmental Corporation (DEC), based in the Bronx. The company sells
the Big Belly solar-powered trash compactor, designed for residential and
commercial buildings.
“Most of the people who have served time are good people who don’t
want to ever seen the inside of jail cell again, but they can’t find a job.”
Since being hired by Cruz, Green Center graduate Roy Torres gets up
at 4 am to make a 90-minute commute via subway from Brooklyn to the
Bronx to work at DEC.
“The people at Big Belly know about my past,” said Torres. “They are
courteous and a great bunch of people. It’s the first time in 10 years that
I’ve really felt great.”
Torres said he’s making a living wage and “likes the idea of saving the
planet and being connected with something green.”
Meanwhile, Cruz admits he was nervous about hiring ex-cons, but was
impressed with Osborne’s training and screening services. “There was an
occasional disappointment but nothing terrible, just a bad attitude,” said