MAX Academy: Supporting Second Chance Employers

Second chance employers are businesses that intentionally hire individuals impacted by the justice system, providing them with an opportunity to rebuild their lives and reintegrate into society. Second-chance hiring recognizes that all individuals can be valuable employees and contribute meaningfully to not only the employer but our society at-large. It offers a win-win situation for both the employers and our justice-impacted neighbors.

Examples of the benefits of second-chance hiring include:

• Provides employers with opportunities to access a skilled and loyal talent pool, reduce employee turnover, and foster a more inclusive workplace culture.
• Provides individuals impacted by the justice system with opportunities to build a positive work history and experience personal and professional growth, while earning a livable, sustainable wage.
• Reduces recidivism and therefore future crime.

This MAX Academy includes a Second Chance Employers Roundtable - with Fair Chance Advisory, Project Restart, the Georgia Justice Project and Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) - that brings together second chance employers, workforce developers, and re-entry advocates to address hiring practices and uncover solutions for expanding access to justice-impacted talent.

This MAX Academy will take place on Thursday, October 2, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM, at Atlanta Technical College - Dennard Conference Center. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

As a result of this training, participants will be able to:

• Learn about second chance employers and their hiring needs and processes.
• Better communicate with key partners in the second-chance hiring process (employers, supportive service providers, fellow workforce professionals)..
• Learn how to better position justice impacted individuals for second chance hiring opportunities.

CREDENTIALED TRAINING

This MAX Academy will be submitted to the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) for approval as training counting toward continuing education hours (CEUs) for Certified Rehabilitation Counselors (CRCs). Special thanks to Goodwill of North Georgia for serving as the sponsor with the CRCC for the MAX Academy.

Both the International Association of Workforce Professionals (IAWP) and the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) recognize training programs held through the MAX Academy as relevant training hours for their certification programs. Hours spent attending MAX Academy workshops can count as training hours for earning a Certified Workforce Professional (CWP) credential from IAWP and also as professional development (continuing education) hours for CWP recertification. For NAWDP’s Certified Workforce Development Professional (CWDP), NAWDP will accept MAX Academy training hours toward the professional development hours required for CWDP recertification.

REGISTRATION

Join us for a day of learning and networking! The registration fee for this training is $25.00 for MAX members and $45.00 for non-members.

Because we recognize the value of having multiple team members from the same organization participate so concepts and practices may be discussed and reinforced, discounts are available when multiple staff from the same agency register for the workshop as follows:

MAX Members: $25.00 for the first registration and $15.00 for each additional registration from the same organization.

Non-Members: $45.00 for the first registration and $35.00 for each additional registration from the same organization.

ABOUT THE MAX ACADEMY

Launched in 2014, the mission of MAX is to advance economic resilience in the Atlanta region by strengthening connections, collaborations, and practices among workforce developers and organizations engaged in workforce development.

The MAX Academy offers professional development and capacity building training workshops to help workforce development professionals develop new skills, learn best practices, and engage in peer-to-peer learning.

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Host or Publisher METRO ATLANTA EXCHANGE FOR WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS (MAX)