Uzoma “Zo” Orchingwa, co-founder of Emerge Career, sat down with Taking the Hire Road host Jeremy Reymer to discuss justice and social change in the context of hiring and career development.
Having spent most of his formative years in Nigeria, Orchingwa was always intrigued and concerned by the disparity in living conditions between places like Nigeria and what he saw in American television and movies. “Understanding social ills and why things are the way they are formed a through line that connected my life and work,” Orchingwa said.
Later, he spent his teen years in inner-city Hartford, Connecticut, where he saw many friends and peers incarcerated. He was driven to learn how and why the justice system operated the way it did and why so many lives were affected.
In college, Orchingwa was extremely interested in studying what distinguished the American justice system from those of other countries. Many of the conversations on the justice system were focused on policy, but according to Orchingwa, “Not enough people were concerned with the in-prison experience – what resources folks are getting, what conditions they’re held in and what opportunities they are missing as a result.”
With the goal of improving conditions for convicts post-release, Orchingwa co-founded Ameelio. The nonprofit tech startup provides free software and technology to disrupt the predatory pricing to which inmates and their families are subjected when they make phone calls and provide educational opportunities to those inmates.
“My vision was to create a technological bridge that would reconnect the incarcerated with the outside world and get them critical resources that they needed to succeed,” Orchingwa said.
However, as Ameelio was not a content creator or educational provider, Orchingwa transitioned his focus to Emerge Career. “My focus was on connecting the dots and getting folks training as well as supporting the amazing companies that can employ them,” Orchingwa explained.
Emerge Career is a vocational training and case management platform. “Emerge allows us to not only train students, but also provide them the wraparound support and services they need,” Orchingwa said.
The employment placement component is designed to help reduce recidivism and poverty rates post-incarceration. “We’re trying to transform vocational education to reach those who are most vulnerable, and provide quality technology and resources to people who have otherwise been abandoned,” said Orchingwa.
Regarding retention, Orchingwa said that Emerge Career wants to help connect amazing employees with companies that are in dire need of trained help. “We’re aiming to improve retention and provide a sustainable ecosystem for all stakeholders in the trucking space – not just for the employees, but also for the companies, communities and government systems they operate under,” he said.
According to Orchingwa, studies show that many people with a criminal record are unemployed, but those who do seek employment opportunities have much higher retention rates than their unincarcerated counterparts. They stay at companies longer and are shown to work longer hours and be more productive.
“It might seem counterintuitive, but those who have recognized that they’ve made a mistake and are seeking opportunities are so grateful for the individual or company that gives them that first hand up,” Orchingwa said. “We want to get rid of the stigma. We highlight the research that shows that companies are no more likely to be victimized by hiring formerly incarcerated individuals.”
To address ongoing issues with truck driver recruiting and retention, Orchingwa says the scalable technology of Emerge Career is immensely effective at providing drivers to the trucking industry.
“What led us to pursue the transportation sector as a career track for our students was that many incarcerated folks were interested in the transportation sector. It can give them freedom to travel and drive but is also blue-collar work that pays a great wage,” Orchingwa said. “If you work hard in trucking, you can build a career for yourself.”
Connecting those driven and dedicated individuals with trucking companies is a proven and effective way of providing people with career opportunities and companies with skilled labor.
Click here to learn more about Emerge Career.
Book recommendation: Plato’s “The Republic”
Sponsors: The National Transportation Institute, Career Now Brands, Carrier Intelligence, Infinit-I Workforce Solutions, WorkHound, Asurint, Transportation Marketing Group, Seiza, Drive My Way, F|Staff, Trucksafe Consulting, Seated Social, Repowr