From jail to a job

From jail to a job

The American Legion Department of New Jersey has been at the forefront of employment opportunities for veterans, conducting dozens of resource/employment fairs and hosting small business workshops for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Now one of the department’s Legionnaires is at the center of another employment initiative: putting formerly incarerated veterans into the automotive industry.

Rich Liebler, a Vietnam War veteran and member of Post 471 in Iselin, serves as administrator for the Sansone Military Assistance Program. Founded by Sansone Auto Group owner Paul Sansone, the programs offers training and then employment in multiple automotive jobs.

“(Paul Sansone) had an interest in working with veterans, which was right up my alley,” said Liebler, who has spent 44 years in the automotive industry and also coordinates Legion employment fairs in his state. “I saw a statistic that said more than 200,000 veterans were incarcerated (throughout the nation) – and that doesn’t count the ones who don’t identify as veterans.

“That just got my attention. I just said, ‘If I’m going to work with reentry, why not work with veterans?’”

His new position is a perfect one for Liebler, who 20 years ago founded the New Community Youth and Adult Automotive Training Center in Newark and owned his own auto mall for 35 years. Sansone Auto Group is one of New Jersey’s top auto dealers, employing more than 400 workers. Sansone himself has donated $250,000 to establish the Sansone Veteran & Spouse Employment Assistance Center in Woodbridge, N.J., which provides veterans and their familes with local business employment opportunities, job and employment training, higher education, counseling, social services and other support.

Liebler said the Military Assistance Program already has provided both numerous employment opportunities and referrals into veterans programs for at-risk veterans. As a result, the Department of New Jersey named Sansone its “Employer of the Year.”

The program’s steps can begin as early as Liebler visiting a veteran while still incarcerated, followed by:

• An initial interview to provide program details.

• A half-day class to explore opportunities in the auto industry.

• Job shadowing to determine interest.

• Internship to experience preferred job.

• Attending a class on developing employment and interviewing skills.

• Applying for job at Sansone Auto Mall or other participating dealership.

Jobs available through the program include in-person and Internet sales, IT and social media, work in the parts department, accounting and clerical positions, maintenance, security and technicians.

“Our industry is a perfect industry for re-entry,” Liebler said. “At least 90 percent of our jobs are on-the-job training. And our business, no matter where you are, is pretty much exactly the same: the same types of jobs and the same type of structure.”

Because of that, and because of the success the program has shown at the state level, Liebler said he’d like to see it expanded. “There’s no reason why we can’t take this program very simply to national,” he said. “The obstacles that they put in front of someone who is incarcerated are mind-numbing. You don’t have a driver’s license. You’re not eligible for a Pell Grant so you can’t get money to do training. The stigma attached to being a felon.

“Getting these guys jobs in the automotive industry can really put a dent in that issue and maybe get some national attention that this even exists.”

For more information on the Sansone Military Assistance Program, click here.