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Transformative Workforce Academy

Connecting Justice-Involved Jobseekers and Second Chance Employers

Expanding fair chance employment is one of the most effective ways to boost economic mobility for justice-involved individuals and build safer, more prosperous communities. 

Our Program 

First, some definitions. TWA works with jobseekers who are justice-involved, which refers to anyone who has had interaction with the criminal justice system as a defendant. This term encompasses a broad range of experiences that can include being temporarily incarcerated while awaiting trial, being on probation or parole, and/or being incarcerated or formerly incarcerated in a jail or prison. TWA works with individuals regardless of record. 

TWA connects justice-involved individuals with fair chance employers.  Also referred to as second chance employers, these are businesses and organizations that are willing to look past the person’s record to the talent the jobseeker has to offer. Some fair chance employers can hire people with any criminal background while others must be more selective based on a variety of factors. 

While TWA is housed at Saint Louis University, the program’s footprint now expands beyond the St. Louis Area to also incorporate collocated services offered pre-release at five institutions through the Missouri Department of Corrections as well as to individuals going home to the metropolitan areas of Kansas City, Springfield and Columbia. 

Download TWA’s 2023 Impact Report

Get connected with the TWA

Attendees walk through tables at a job fair in SLU's Cook Hall.
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Second Chance Job Fair

Learn how job seekers and employers can connect at the virtual Second Chance Job Fair.

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St. Louis Region

Learn more about resources available to job seekers and employers in St. Louis.

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Readiness Programs

Job seekers can find programs that will help them get hired and stay hired.

Our History

TWA’s focus is helping those who are justice-involved, especially those recently coming out of prison, find and retain meaningful employment. It began its efforts in April 2018 by partnering with the U.S. Attorneys’ Office and federal and state level probation and parole offices to sponsor the inaugural Second Chance Job Fair at Chaifetz Arena.

These efforts continued in 2019, when the Second Chance Job Fair drew 1,000 attendees, including 77 employers committed to looking at candidates holistically, beyond just their criminal record. That same year, TWA expanded on the success of these job fairs by beginning to provide year-round job search assistance to justice-involved individuals.

Since 2020, TWA has been adapting to the digitization of the job search process accelerated by the pandemic. TWA now hosts bi-annual virtual Second Chance Job Fairs, works with job seekers referred by community partners between fairs, and trains employers on best practices for second-chance employment and retention.

In 2022, 201 job seekers and 82 employers participated in TWA job fairs, with more than 100 job seekers referred between fairs.

In 2023, SLU TWA began providing pre-release services to participants in five Missouri Department of Corrections institutions, preparing for their release to and connecting them with employment opportunities in St. Louis.

In 2024, SLU TWA was awarded funding for State expansion by the Missouri Department of Corrections. TWA expanded again, and is now offering services in Kansas, City, Columbia and Springfield.