Televerde Expands Its Prison Workforce Development Program to Florida Department of Corrections; Will Add 200 New Jobs

Televerde, the first and only fully integrated sales and marketing technology organization with a proven execution model for generating demand and accelerating sales, announced its expansion to the Homestead Correctional Institute, part of Florida Department of Corrections, with a signed agreement with Florida’s Prison Rehabilitative Industries and Diversified Enterprises, Inc. (PRIDE Enterprises). The only program of its type in the U.S., PRIDE Enterprises combines enterprise with social mission to create a positive impact on communities, people and customers.

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For 25 years, Televerde has employed more than 3,000 incarcerated women in Arizona and Indiana, with 94 percent advancing into professional career positions in sales, marketing and technology fields. The women employed as part of Televerde’s prison workforce development program are compensated fairly and receive on-the-job training in the art of sales and marketing, business acumen, in-demand marketing technologies (Salesforce, Eloqua, Marketo, et al), IT, and all other areas in business.

These women partner with and directly support some of the most recognizable Fortune 500 companies in business today, building both experience and a professional network that will increase their marketability and provide a clear advantage over others in the hiring process when they are released from corrections.

Florida’s Homestead Correctional Institute will become Televerde’s eighth engagement center in the U.S. that is staffed entirely by incarcerated women. Televerde plans to open the engagement center during the third quarter of this year and will ultimately employ 200 women within it. With this new engagement center, Televerde will expand its outbound and inbound sales and marketing solutions and add customer service to its offerings.

“With PRIDE Enterprises, we have found a partner with whom we very closely align in thinking and approach to help incarcerated women get the skills they need in order to rebuild their lives and successfully transition back into society,” said Morag Lucey, CEO of Televerde. “We are now finalizing the logistics of building out the engagement center so we can open in the third quarter. With Televerde’s business expanding, we are eager to open the center at Homestead Correctional Institution so we can provide stronger experiences, deliver more value, and accelerate success for our clients.”

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PRIDE Enterprises was established by the Florida Legislature as a 501(c)3, not-for-profit corporation whose primary missions are to work in cooperation with the Florida Department of Corrections to reduce recidivism by providing training to eligible inmates in vocational skills and transitioning them into the job market upon completion of their sentences and to reduce inmate idleness, thereby improving institutional security. PRIDE Enterprises’ job-centered approach lowers the number of repeat offenders, reduces criminal justice costs for all citizens, and aligns closely to Televerde’s purpose.

Televerde’s employment methodology has a high success rate of keeping women from going back to prison. The recidivism rate of Televerde graduates is 91 percent lower than the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ national rate among females released from state prisons. Through the Televerde Foundation, Televerde provides extensive professional and personal development opportunities and resources to the women throughout their term of incarceration and following their release. Resources include workplace readiness, career development, financial literacy, personal leadership, health & wellness, and community reintegration.

“The partnership between Televerde, PRIDE Enterprises, and the Florida Department of Corrections will not only strengthen our program offerings but will also provide tangible career skills that will improve the lives of our female inmates who are hired to work for Televerde,” said Jack Edgemon, president of PRIDE Enterprises. “The success that Televerde has experienced with its program underscores the importance of creating career pathways in prison. When we make the right educational and training investments behind bars, women go on to attain employment, earnings, and education at higher rates and reoffend at significantly lower rates than other formerly incarcerated females in the United States. We are very excited to begin working with Televerde and look forward to a long relationship.”

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