A Second Chance: How an Indiana Program Breaks Down Manufacturing Employment Barriers
Delaware County, Indiana probation officer John Bush launched the Jump program in January, aiming to reduce recidivism and alleviate labor shortages by helping individuals with criminal records enter local manufacturing. The program has attracted 23 businesses, filling over a quarter of more than 400 positions, and has expanded to other industries.
John Bush has spent years connecting people with criminal justice system convictions to employers.
As a probation officer in Delaware County, Indiana, he often called local businesses asking, "Hey, can you give my client a chance?"
He recalled that businesses often hesitated, responding, "Well, I guess we can. We're not supposed to hire people with felony records, but we'll try and see how he does."
Despite employers' initial doubts, most placements were successful, and many people still work at these companies today.
In January, Bush took this work a step further by launching the Justice User Manufacturing Partnership (Jump).
The program aims to reduce recidivism by helping individuals with justice records, including felonies and misdemeanors, enter the local manufacturing workforce.
Amid a national push for manufacturing growth, the challenge of filling manufacturing jobs is prompting more businesses to embrace often-overlooked talent—and manufacturers in Muncie, Indiana, are no exception.
"You'll see the crisis coming for manufacturers: an aging workforce and a lack of new talent," Bush said.
The search for new talent brought opportunities to Bush. After learning about his work, local manufacturers invited him to speak at a Muncie Manufacturing Coalition meeting about bringing individuals with justice records into their workforce.
Subsequently, Bush approached Ivy Tech Community College to join as an educational partner, and in April 2022, he proposed the Jump pilot program.
"We're trying to at least develop entry-level employees so they start committing and see it as a career," Bush said of the program. "When employers discriminate against or exclude people with backgrounds due to outdated hiring policies, they eliminate opportunities."
Individuals with conviction records often face employment barriers. A 2018 study in the Quarterly Journal of Economics found that employers who ask about criminal records are 63% more likely to contact applicants without records than those with records, often due to concerns about recidivism and employment gaps.
To fulfill Jump's goal of reducing employment barriers for those with justice records, 23 companies from sectors such as aerospace, plastics, and automotive signed up to help fill more than 400 positions in the county. According to Bush, within the first 60 days of the program's launch, more than a quarter of the open positions had been filled.
"At this rate, we might meet Delaware County's workforce shortage with just this program," Bush said.
Mursix, one of Jump's partners, manufactures parts for automotive, medical, and industrial markets. As of March 3, the company had hired five employees working in stamping, assembly, and shipping departments, said human resources manager Corbin Black.
"Employers should consider joining this program," Corbin Black said. "Workforce and labor needs have changed. If employers don't strive to stay ahead of current issues, demographics, and trends, their businesses won't survive."
The program has seen significant success and expanded this spring. Now renamed the Justice Upward Mobility Partnership, Jump is working with industries beyond manufacturing to help place individuals who cannot work in a factory setting, Bush said in an email.
From talent pool to pipeline
Jump participants go through a multi-step process before entering the shop floor.
Candidates must first have an initial interview with the Jump program coordinator or a referral source, such as a probation officer, and complete an application process that includes a "pre-employment screening tool." Once completed, candidates are assigned a green, yellow, or red status to guide their employment.
"When employers discriminate against or exclude people with backgrounds due to outdated hiring policies, they eliminate opportunities."
John Bush
Founder of Jump
Green clients will begin the onboarding process. Yellow clients are identified through risk assessment reports and screening tools as having employment barriers, including transportation, substance dependency, housing, or education issues. These clients are referred to Ivy Tech Community College and other support services to assist them in joining the workforce. Red clients will be flagged and removed from the program until they can return to green or yellow status.
"By providing wraparound services for these individuals, employers feel more comfortable bringing in people who may have non-traditional backgrounds," Corbin Black said.
Manufacturers like North American Stamping Group quickly partnered with Bush early in the program. Human resources director Tina Black decided to join after seeing the recognition Bush had gained from the local court system, community, and businesses.
"I talked to my supervisor and some upper management. They thought it was a good idea," she said. "So, I launched it here."
Joining the program has helped improve North American Stamping Group's operations, Tina Black added. Shaun Blankenship, an employee from Jump, made a significant impact on the company by implementing new processes that improved part failure rates in the welding department by 85% to 90%.
Jump also includes an educational component provided by Ivy Tech Community College. During onboarding, participants complete Six Sigma White Belt training to learn the basics of manufacturing concepts.
Joshua Pena, a 22-year-old program participant who has worked as a machine operator at Magna Powertrain for three months, said the onboarding process moved quickly.
After hearing about the program from his girlfriend and her mother, Pena asked his probation officer how to join. He then contacted program coordinator Emily Stults and started the White Belt course the following week.
"It taught me what employers will value," Pena said of the course. "When you understand how a factory operates, you can understand what employers expect and meet those requirements."
"Since I hadn't worked in a factory before, but through the course, I was able to get up to speed quickly," he added.
Pena now plans to take more courses at Ivy Tech.
"I want to learn welding and go the skilled trades route," he said.
In March, 17 of at least 36 White Belt participants also began credit-bearing Ivy Tech courses that can lead to degrees, said Jennifer Gaisiorek, vice chancellor of workforce partnerships and strategic communications at Ivy Tech's Muncie campus.
Once participants earn certifications, they often want to learn more, she said.
Inclusive policies and attitudes drive positive change
Local initiatives like Jump are the first step in breaking down barriers and helping individuals with justice records chart career paths.
"There are many benefits to hiring people with felony records," Bush said. "The advantage of our program is providing extra monitoring, supervision, and information sharing."
Many employers don't realize that applicants with felony records qualify for the federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit, and companies can receive a tax credit simply for hiring them, Bush explained.
Through a federal bonding program, employers can also receive fidelity bonds of up to $25,000 per person to encourage them to hire "workers deemed 'high-risk' due to prior involvement with the criminal justice system."
Pena said he hopes businesses realize, "We're just regular people. Sometimes we have to make mistakes to learn how to become who we are today."
"Giving someone a chance could become the best thing for you and for them," he added.
That's the key that Jump helps employers understand, Bush explained. It encourages employers to examine their policies and procedures and helps them realize that "the person on paper isn't always the same as the person in reality."