Empowering Workforce Leaders

to Build Strong Employer Relationships

Employer Engagement

NRWC’s Employer Engagement Training equips workforce professionals, job developers, and community partners with the tools and strategies to cultivate strong employer relationships. Our program strengthens Fair Chance Hiring (FCH) networks, improves employment outcomes, and builds sustainable talent pipelines for justice-impacted job seekers.

How it works

The Employer Engagement Training (EET) is a facilitated, hands-on learning experience designed to help practitioners apply what they learn directly to their work.

Format

In-person, two-day training, followed by a series of virtual sessions.

Participants

Teams of reentry workforce and employer facing professionals from CBOs, chambers of commerce, workforce boards, state agencies, community colleges, and more.

Facilitation

Led by NRWC-certified trainers with experience in employer engagement, fair chance hiring, and reentry workforce system design.

Interactive Approach

Combines guided discussions, case studies, and real-world exercises that help participants identify, engage, and retain employers.

Customization

Can be adapted to meet regional or sector-specific needs and delivered in partnership with local partners.

Key Components

Employer Engagement Excellence (Ex3) Assessment

Evaluates an organization’s readiness to engage employers.
Based on 20 leading practices across five phases of engagement.
Developed with insights from practitioners, workforce experts, employers, and individuals with lived experience.

Fair Chance Employer Engagement Toolkit

A comprehensive suite of resources to strengthen Fair Chance Hiring relationships.
Created by NRWC and industry experts with 150+ years of experience.
Informed by business surveys and job developer insights from NRWC’s partner organizations.

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Employer Engagement Training

Provides knowledge, best practices, and tools for building long-term employer relationships.
Designed to help communities establish trusted partnerships that lead to quality job placements.
Customized to each cohort based on local labor market needs and Ex3 Assessment results.

Featured Partners

Convenor

Tennessee’s Office of Reentry, TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development

Included: Chambers of commerce, state agency representatives, and community partners across Tennessee.

Convenor

Latino Coalition for Community Leadership

Included: WAGEES Colorado community partners and the Colorado Fair Chance Hiring Network Initiative.

Convenor

Latino Coalition for Community Leadership

Included: WAGEES California and Helping Justice-Involved Reenter Employment (HIRE) community partners.

Convenor

Philadelphia Works in collaboration with JP Morgan Chase and Envoy

Included: Good Jobs Challenge participants, American Job Centers and other community partners.