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Governor Kim Reynolds encourages employers, recruiters, and human resource managers to attend the Employer and Reentry Roundtable on Jan. 29 at the Anamosa State Penitentiary. Iowa Department of Corrections and Iowa Workforce Development will co-host the roundtable to highlight opportunities available with hiring returning citizens. The event starts at 12:30 pm. “Our prisons shouldn’t be one stop in a circle that leads back to prison. They should connect people with opportunities to improve themselves and their skills,” said Gov. Reynolds. “We will continue host employer roundtables at our correctional facilities to encourage employers to hire reentering individuals. By doing so, employers can learn about an opportunity to meet their workforce needs and give an Iowan a second chance at a productive and rewarding life.” The roundtable is part of a series that kicked off in November of 2019. Each event features presentations and discussions about recruiting and training practices, apprenticeship programs and incentives available to employers who hire returning citizens. “The Iowa Corrections Team is working every day to transform those currently incarcerated into the workforce of tomorrow. With over 90% of these people returning to their communities someday, we have a duty to make sure they are ready to go to work upon reentry. This event is an opportunity to highlight this work to Iowa’s employers, and we are excited to bring the business community into our institution,” said Iowa Dept. of Corrections Director Beth Skinner. “When employers open their recruitment strategy to include returning citizens, they increase the size of their skilled worker pool given all of the training currently available in our corrections facilities," said Director Beth Townsend, Iowa Workforce Development. “The roundtable is focused on informing employers about peers who have successfully hired from this pool of returning citizens as well as programs and incentives available to employers who do so." Employers may register for the roundtable event at Eventbrite. A link to the online registration will also be available at doc.iowa.gov. If you are interested in attending an event and have additional questions, please contact Richelle Seitz at richelle.seitz@iwd.iowa.gov. For media questions about the event, please contact Cord Overton at cord.overton@iowa.gov