MUNCIE − Delaware County commissioners have approved an interlocal agreement with Ivy Tech Community College to help offenders obtain employment at local manufacturers through the JUMP program.
The program is one of the first of its kind in Indiana, according to Sherry Riggin, commissioners president.
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The Judicial Users Manufacturers Program or JUMP places offenders within the county judicial system with participating manufacturers in the county. Ivy Tech provides skills training, according to John Bush , the Delaware County probation officer who has been heading up the pilot program in the county.
Bush said the county will need to hire a coordinator for the effort, which he hopes will be in place by October.
John Brooke, attorney for the commissioners, said the program not only helps low-level offenders find jobs but helps companies find workers, which has been difficult in the ongoing labor shortage.
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