Safer Foundation Joins Google Program to Offer Digital Skills Training for People Impacted by Incarceration

Chicago, IL — Today, Safer Foundation announced it’s working with Google to provide digital skills programs to advance economic opportunity for people impacted by incarceration. In June, Google shared it’s investing $4 million toward a new fund that aims to expand its justice reform work. Over 500 nonprofit organizations across the country applied to receive support from the fund, and Safer Foundation is one of the recipients selected by Google based on its history of helping people who have been impacted by incarceration receive training, career resources, and job placement support.

More than 600,000 Americans leave incarceration each year and face higher jobless rates than the U.S. average. The lack of technology in prison creates further barriers to employment, as digital skills are increasingly essential in the current job market. Safer Foundation will use the new funding to integrate Google’s digital skills curriculum into its existing programming, with the goal of helping people impacted by incarceration learn skills for today’s jobs. Google funding is not only critical in helping Safer program participants re-skill for the workforce, but it will also equip them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to access other public supports and resources as they work towards overcoming the collateral consequences and associated barriers of their arrest or conviction record.

“Safer Foundation believes that everyone deserves a second chance, and we are excited about this opportunity to partner with Google, one of the world’s leading technology companies!” said Kevin Brown, Sr. Director of External Affairs & Community Partnerships, Safer Foundation.

“As we work to create a more inclusive economy, we’re committed to helping people impacted by incarceration access training for today’s jobs,” said Tia McLaurin, Senior Manager, Grow with Google. “We’re proud to work with outstanding partners to ensure more people can qualify for great jobs and create a new beginning for themselves and their families.”

The selected organizations will use Google digital skills curriculum that was co-curated with five nonprofits— The Last Mile, Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), Defy Ventures, Fortune Society and The Ladies of Hope Ministries.The program’s training includes five learning paths that Google developed in collaboration with nonprofit partners: (1) Getting Started with the Basics, (2) Job Search, (3) Job Readiness, (4) Online Safety, and (5) “Next Step” Job Readiness Skills. Lessons vary from fundamental digital skills such as how to apply for jobs online and create a resumé, to more advanced topics including entrepreneurship and business budgeting. Partners will integrate this curriculum into their existing programs to help people develop skills that will help them get a job or start a business.

Since launching in April 2021, Grow with Google’s program has helped more than 10,000 people impacted by incarceration obtain digital skills. Out of participants surveyed, 85% said that they felt more prepared for their future, and over 75% reported they had a job or were enrolled as a student by the end of the program. To date, Google has given over $48 million in Google.org grants and committed 50,000 pro bono hours to advance criminal justice reform. Learn more about how Google is expanding access to digital skills training to support individuals who were formerly incarcerated at grow.google/justice-impacted.

About Safer Foundation
Founded in 1972, Safer Foundation’s mission is “to support, through a full spectrum of services and advocacy, the efforts of people with arrest and conviction records to become employed, law-abiding members of the community, and as a result, reduce recidivism.” Safer transforms communities one person and one family at a time through their vision of achieving “equal employment opportunities for people with arrest and conviction records thereby improving the socio-economic well-being of individuals, their family, and communities.” Safer operates 8 community-based offices throughout the Chicago metropolitan area and urban areas of the Quad Cities of Illinois and eastern Iowa, operates two Adult Transition Centers on behalf of the Illinois Department of Corrections, and has grown to become one of the nation’s largest nonprofit social impact organizations focusing on human capital development for people with arrest and conviction records. Specializing in workforce development, Safer provides tailored best practice direct services as well as holistic, wraparound, supportive services to assist individuals with arrest and conviction records on their journey towards self-sufficiency, stability and a true second chance post-incarceration.

Register here: https://mysafer.force.com/saferreturn/s/

About Grow with Google
Grow with Google was started in 2017 to help Americans grow their skills, careers and businesses. It provides training, tools and expertise to help small business owners, veterans and military families, jobseekers and students, educators, startups and developers. Since Grow with Google’s inception, it has helped more than nine million Americans develop new skills. Grow with Google has a network of more than 8,500 partner organizations like libraries, schools, small business development centers, chambers of commerce and nonprofits to help people coast-to-coast.