In 2018 the California Legislature passed the Prison to Employment Initiative (P2E Initiative) and the State budget released supportive funding. In order to gain guidance from the community in how to best carry out the legislation, an Employer Engagement Workgroup was established. Because of AMS’ nationally recognized workforce development programs and AMS’ support of reentry into the workforce, Ken Wiseman, AMS CEO, was invited to participate in the Workgroup.
Now the Los Angeles Basin Regional Planning Unit (LA Basin RPU) and AMS have officially entered into a partnership under the P2E Initiative with the goal of improving the outcome for formerly incarcerated individuals who are seeking employment.
The P2E Initiative seeks to accomplish on a large scale what AMS has been doing on a small scale, which is to align education, training, employment preparation and community-based supportive services in support of reentry. AMS has extensive experience in this arena having been working in partnership with SCV’s College of the Canyons and Goodwill Industries as well as a number of other community-based support services on behalf of job seekers in the community who are experiencing difficulties in gaining employment.
The letter of partnership between the LA Basin RPU and AMS Fulfillment states:
The LA Basin RPU is committed to working with business and industry partners to ensure a skilled and agile workforce that supports economic growth in the region. We applaud the growing number of public organizations and private sector businesses countywide who are taking action to ensure that all residents, including reentry individuals, have the opportunity to participate and thrive in the regional economy. When nearly one in three adults in the region has a criminal record, it is important to align systems and resources to prepare these individuals with the skills and knowledge to succeed in work and life. Especially as new research makes it increasingly clear that companies with more diverse workforces are more productive and perform better financially.
AMS CEO, Ken Wiseman shared, “The more you get involved in providing employment to individuals that face challenges, the more you see the culture of your organization embrace the inclusivity and reflect this in the bottom line performance of the company. Our mission statement reflects this best when we refer to “profit and growth as merely outcomes of uncompromised attention to our customer, our organization, our community and ourselves.” Successful companies today must demonstrate that they are part of the change that will better our communities. Not only is it the right thing to do, but these are the companies that attract great people, inspire innovation, and ultimately create shareholder satisfaction.”
AMS Fulfillment is proud to join in this Partnership and we are committed to work collaboratively with the other Partners of the LA Basin RPU Prison to Employment Initiative to bring about highly successful outcomes for reentry individuals and the businesses involved.