Restored citizens, veterans benefiting from central Ohio's TAPP Project

Restored citizens preparing for re-entrance into society after incarceration often have a difficult time locating gainful employment, even when they have marketable skills.

Today's manufacturing industry faces an acute shortage of skilled, entry-level employees, and these restored citizens could help to ease that problem. Recognizing the needs of both manufacturers and restored citizens, the Training, Assessment and Placement Project (TAPP) was developed to match restored citizens with those manufacturers that want to give them the opportunity to begin a new chapter in their lives.

TAPP was founded by Vickie Miller, a former vocational educator with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC) and owner of VMConsulting. Miller gained the assistance of ODRC to provide access to restored citizens for job placement. The final piece—a partnership with OH!Manufacturing, a nonprofit affiliate of the Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership—established the avenue to locate both immediately available manufacturing positions and employers that want to help give these individuals a fresh start.

Since its inception in August 2015, TAPP has placed six restored citizens—four of whom are veterans—into positions with central Ohio manufacturers. Their employers report that they are impressed with their level of work ethic and desire to be positive role models and employees. One of those placed has already been selected to take on a newly created position within the company. His current employer, on a recent survey, gave TAPP a 100 percent evaluation score.

"TAPP has provided us with a pipeline of vetted candidates that are motivated, hardworking, and responsible," said Brandon Moskal, HR generalist at Engineered Profiles LLC.

TAPP has recently expanded its assistance to include all military veterans through a partnership with the Military Veterans Resource Center.