The idea that “everyone deserves a second chance” is at the heart of a new nonprofit organization in action around Aiken County and beyond, with emphasis on helping reduce unemployment in such fields as manufacturing, construction, landscaping, plumbing, painting and solar installation. 

Second Chance Jobs, as described on its website, looks to help veterans, displaced workers and non-violent offenders “by providing real career opportunities to make a difference for themselves and their families through education, training, pre-apprenticeships, full apprenticeships and job/career placement.”

Some participants offered feedback on the North Charleston-based program this month, recalling their weeks of work with Second Chance Jobs. 

Kelly West, a Springfield native now living in Aiken, said his background includes a degree in criminal justice and plenty of experience with highway construction. These days, he is working with Belvedere-based Adams Installation and Gutter, and much of his attention is going to custom-built closets and shower glasses.

“I’m the lowest guy on the totem pole,” he noted, adding that he has had plenty of encouraging feedback from his boss and thoroughly enjoyed the company of his workmates. One of the best aspects of the situation, he said, is their willingness to share job-related knowledge freely – something he did not always encounter in previous work situations. One of his challenges in recent months involved trying to get a job despite having spent a couple of years in prison. Being on probation “made things more difficult,” he said, in terms of filling out job applications and wanting to be honest in the process.

Jackson resident Blair Freeman, a native of North Augusta, is now focusing on carpentry – a field that calls on many of the same skills that he used years before in electrical work. “I learn something new every day,” he said. The job so far has included work in such locales as Greenwood, Augusta (“a couple of times”), Allendale and Graniteville, and the travel is a welcome part of the day-to-day situation, which includes plenty of time up on a 12-foot ladder, he said.

“It’s very difficult ... My trainer gets me up to speed quickly. He has my back. You get frustrated, but you’ve got to get that will power in yourself to go ahead and finish out the job.” 

The work schedule is consistent – 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. almost every day – and one of the work’s most satisfying aspects is in being able to polish his skills to the point of executing a job more quickly from day to day. 

Sherrell Roberts, a North Augusta resident with several children, was featured prominently in a recent article in the Post and Courier, Charleston’s daily newspaper, telling the Second Chance Jobs story, including its presence in Charleston County’s school district.

Roberts, who does not have a criminal background, needed some help in her job search, having earned her GED in 2012 and gone on to college for a degree as a pharmacy technician. She got an introduction to a variety of trades through Second Chance Jobs and did some independent research, and now she works in Augusta for Rob Zapata’s Electric, as the warehouse manager, helping ensure that electricians have the right equipment – from outlets to fueled, well-maintained vehicles – day to day.

The electric business’ owner (and namesake) said that he and his team knew, after giving Roberts a trial run, that she was “doing an awesome job and cares about what we do here.”

Chrissy Bailey, the business’ officer manager, gave Second Chance a thumbs-up review, noting, “They’re easy to work with, they communicate well, they invoice accordingly and they’re on time with all of that.”

“I didn’t expect to gain as much as I did,” Roberts said, recalling the process of quitting her previous job and moving into the Second Chance program, including basic training. “I stepped out in faith.”

The jobs program is now reportedly “expanding services to a more diverse group of people, which now includes high school and college students,” as noted in the Charleston article. “The nonprofit has partnered with the National Homebuilders Association and the Homebuilders Association of Charleston. The nonprofit trains people in pest control management, electrical, plumbing, weatherization, HVAC and other trades.” 

Debbie Reese, Second Chance’s executive director, has come to know the route between Charleston and Aiken well in recent months, working with fellow Charleston resident Colin Slaven, the program’s founder and president, in helping lay groundwork in 2018-19 around the CSRA. Second Chance’s first classes in Aiken were in January 2019.

The program’s origins, Reese said, are in an outreach called Inmate Care, focusing on support for inmates and their families before, during and after incarceration, with plenty of emphasis on finding meaningful work after departure from prison. A related program, 327 Careers, offers classes for high-school graduates at the end of the school year to help open doors for people considering a career “in a skilled labor trade and assist them through education, training, pre-apprenticeships, full registered apprenticeships, nationally recognized certifications, job and career placement, as stated on the website.

Among Second Chance’s local boosters is Lessie Price, a longtime Aiken City Council member. “I have been with them almost since they have come to Aiken, and it’s certainly a program that does exactly what the words say – second chances, and sometimes third chances,” she said.

“The emphasis is to get these folks who have some criminal history and sometimes those who are struggling to get into the work force, to help them to acquire some skills to earn a living and that’s what Second Chance is doing. It is a great program,” she said. 

Roberts described it as “a very great program,” and added, “I would recommend the program for everybody. Everything they say is the truth. They’re going to find you a job ... They’re not just going to throw you into any job. They’re going to find a job that’s the right fit for you.” 

She said her boss, Rob Zapata, is “the absolute best,” and she also commented on the Second Chance Jobs leadership. “They care about people before anything, and when you have people like that, who care about people, it takes it to another level.” 

Details on the various programs are available at www.secondchancejobs.org and (866) 7-CHANCE, also known as (866) 724-2623.