Denver Center for Employment Opportunities helping people released from incarceration

Finding steady work can be one of the biggest hurdles for people leaving prison or jail, but a Denver area program is working to change that.

Center for Employment Opportunities, or CEO, is connecting formerly incarcerated people with job training and career opportunities. At the same time, the program is helping with the national truck driver shortage, which is roughly 80,000.

For Jesse Vanderhamm, that opportunity means getting behind the wheel of a truck.

"I recently got out of jail and was having a very hard time finding work, just because of being on probation," Vanderhamm said.

Vanderhamm said he submitted hundreds of job applications after his release but struggled to find an employer willing to hire him because of his criminal record and probation status.

"I think on Indeed I had over 340 applications out," he said. "They've got filters that, AI filters you out if you're a felon or you're on probation or anything like that."

His probation officer eventually connected him with the CEO, which helps people returning from incarceration find jobs and develop skills for long-term careers. Through the CEO, Vanderhamm was connected with DrivePoint CDL Academy, where he is training to earn his commercial driver's license at no cost to him.

"They gave me this opportunity to get my CDL because it's not costing me anything," Vanderhamm said. "It's all on them, and that's very kind."

CEO Denver Program Manager Josh Ehrlich said the organization works to remove barriers people face when trying to rebuild their lives after incarceration.

"They just need someone to help point them in the right direction and guide them, and that's exactly what we're here to do," Ehrlich said.

The training also comes as the trucking industry continues to look for qualified drivers.

Alisha Brown, owner of DrivePoint CDL Academy, said budget cuts have made it more difficult for some organizations to pay for new workers to receive training. She said partnerships with organizations such as CEO can help fill that funding gap by covering training costs for students who might not otherwise have access to the opportunity.

"Some of the organizations that used to send, you know, 12 to 20 people now are sending maybe only four to five this year," Brown said. "That's where organizations like CEO works, and some of the other programs can come in handy because they're able to allocate funds that aren't governed by budgets."

For participants such as Vanderhamm, the training provides more than a commercial driver's license. It offers a path toward stable employment and a chance to move forward after incarceration.