by Michael Karpman

Municipal leaders are invited to attend a conference on using transitional jobs programs to help individuals overcome barriers to stable employment.

The sixth annual National Transitional Jobs Conference, ?Strengthening Communities: Building the Workforce of the Future,? takes place on Oct. 12-13 in Atlanta.

The conference, co-sponsored by the National Transitional Jobs Network, the Georgia Department of Labor and the Legal Action Center?s National H.I.R.E. Network, will bring together government officials, policy advocates, program administrators, academics and those who have provided funds to discuss how to design, implement, evaluate and advocate for effective transitional jobs programs.

Transitional jobs programs are short-term, wage-paying, publicly subsidized jobs that help hard-to-employ individuals gain the work experience, skills and support services necessary to get hired into an unsubsidized job.

The conference will spotlight programs that work with former offenders, welfare recipients, youth and other populations that have to overcome barriers to employment. The conference also spotlights the benefits of transitional jobs ? increased employment, decreased recidivism, cost savings to government and enhanced community well-being.

Details: For information and to register for the conference, visit www.transitionaljobs.net or contact Melissa Young at (773) 336-6075 or ntjn@heartlandalliance.org.

A report by NLC?s Institute for Youth, Education, and Families, highlighting municipal efforts to establish transitional jobs programs through a YEF Institute-led technical assistance project, will be available at www.nlc.org/iyef.

For more information on NLC?s initiatives, contact Stephanie Casey Pierce at (202) 626-3044 or pierce@nlc.org.