About Us
Our Vision and Mission
The Transformative Workforce Academy is part of a Saint Louis University interdepartmental collaboration designed to support and integrate those in Missouri most at risk of and impacted by incarceration so we can all live fruitful, prison-free lives.
SLU’s initiatives engage the whole lifespan, including prevention, in-prison, and reentry services. Through research, information-sharing, and direct services in areas such as education, legal defense, life skills training, and employment placement, SLU seeks to address the root causes of crime by providing support and resources to those who all too often see no alternative. As part of that effort, TWA’s focus is preparing and connecting justice-involved jobseekers with vetted fair chance employers to find and retain meaningful employment.
Our History
TWA’s focus is helping those who are justice-involved, especially those recently coming out of prison, find and retain meaningful employment.
2018 - TWA began its efforts in St. Louis in April 2018 by partnering with the U.S. Attorney's Office and federal and state probation and parole offices to sponsor the inaugural Second Chance Job Fair at Chaifetz Arena.
2019 - These efforts continued when the St. Louis 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 in the St. Louis Area.
2020 - TWA quickly pivoted to an innovative virtual format when the April job fair was impacted by pandemic restrictions. With the success of using customized sets of video resumes in place of an in-person format, TWA continued to host bi-annual virtual Second Chance Job Fairs, incorporating trained volunteer job coaches to support jobseekers.
2021 - In addition to two job fairs and year-round services, TWA began a small pilot program serving individuals inside the St. Louis County Justice Center pre-release. TWA also developed and implemented its second chance employer guide into a 90-minute facilitator-led training, available to a company's key decision-makers, including but not limited to HR professionals, hiring managers, and executives.
2022 - TWA received generous funding from the Lutheran Foundation, the Pershing Charitable Trust, and another anonymous foundation to increase capacity by hiring additional staff. In that same year, a grant from Stanley Black & Decker supported jobseekers attending pre-apprenticeship construction training programs.
2023 - TWA began preparing participants through pre-release services, then connecting them with employment opportunities upon return to St. Louis. The five Missouri Department of Corrections (MO DOC) institutions where TWA works are:
- Farmington Correctional Center (FCC)
- Missouri Eastern Correctional Center in Pacific (MECC)
- Northeast Correctional Center in Bowling Green (NECC)
- Transition Center of St. Louis (TCSTL)
- Women's Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia (WERDCC)
2024 - TWA was awarded funding for statewide expansion by MO DOC. Employment specialists work pre-release with individuals going home to St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia and Springfield. TWA also received funding from the St. Louis County Port Authority to increase capacity to serve individuals referred from the St. Louis region connecting with St. Louis County employers.