District 61 Dresden Office Hosts Offender Resource Fair

DRESDEN – When you’re on probation or parole, finding a job can be difficult.  That’s why the District 61 Probation Parole Office in Dresden hosted an offender resource and fair today.  The Northwest Tennessee Adult Education Service, the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the American Job Mobile Center and the American Job Center from Huntingdon all joined together to host a successful event.

The vendors offer valuable services to clients who are under community supervision.  The services from Northwest Tennessee Adult Education Service included classes to help people pass their high school equivalency test and get them ready for the workforce.  According to Coordinator Angela Hollingsworth, the service bridges the gap for individuals between high school and college.

According to Johnny Polk, with the American Job Center, their organization helps people find jobs and go back to school if they need additional skills to obtain a job.  “We do a lot of reentry work through the prisons and probation parole offices.  Sometimes it’s a challenge to find the right people with the right skills to get a job, so that is when we encourage them to get a secondary education through TNReconnect,” said Polk.

Officer Kayla Little, Employment Specialist for District 61, said the resource and job fairs give clients the resources they may or may not be aware of and opportunities they may not pursue without encouragement from their Probation Parole Officer.  “I’m always looking for employers for any skill level and who are felon friendly.  We do job readiness classes with the clients which include resume writing, how to fill out an application, interview skills, how to present themselves in an interview and soft skills,” said Officer Little.  “We work on these skills so they can be ready and more self-sufficient when they enter the workforce.”

If a vendor is interested in participating in the next resource and job fair, Little said employers can contact her at Kayla.T.Little@tn.gov.