RISE EMPLOYMENT Program
Breaking cycles and building futures.
ABOUT RISE Employment
Services:
RISE Employment Services prepares justice-impacted individuals to renter the workforce after incarceration while actively educating local employers and community partners to expand second chance hiring.
“Stable employment not only transforms the lives of the individuals we serve but also strengthens their families, reduces barriers to successful re-entry, and contributes to safer, healthier communities.”
December Muhammad, Director of Employment Services
Individual Impact:
RISE’s Employment Services builds workplace confidence, ethics, and communication skills ensuring participants enter the job market fully prepared.
Community Impact:
RISE’s Employment services expands second chance hiring practices across Nebraska by educating local employers and community partners. Stable employment reduces reentry barriers, strengthens family economic stability, and fosters trust between employers and justice-impacted workers.
$17.40
Average starting wage
of RISE program participants
as of December 2025
99
RISE Employment Program
Participants
to-date in 2026
74%
Average
employment rate
of RISE program
participants
Top Employment Industries of
RISE graduates
Warehouse | Food Service | Automotive | Construction | Nonprofit work | Retail | Customer Service
Workforce Development Classes Offered for
System-Impacted Individuals:
CORE
CORE (Communication, Ownership, Responsibility, Employability) is a 10-week soft skills workforce development course focused on professional development, boundaries, personal narrative/identity, job readiness essentials, and practice/planning.
CORE class cohorts are offered periodically throughout the year.
Dates for 2027 have not been established yet.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
Graduates from the RISE In-Prison Program, RISE Youth and Family Program, or RISE Business Academy.
HOW DO I APPLY for CORE?
Graduates from the above RISE programs can inquire and sign up with RISE’s Director of Employment Services, December Muhammad here.
Services Offered for
System-Impacted Individuals:
Employment Program Case Management
Qualifying participants will work 1:1 with a RISE Employment Specialist to obtain employment, ensure they have the job essentials they need like steel toed boots, professional clothing, transportation assistance, etc.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
Graduates from the RISE In-Prison Program, RISE Youth and Family Program, or RISE Business Academy.
HOW DO I Enroll in Employment Program Case Management?
Graduates from the above RISE programs can inquire and enroll with RISE’s Director of Employment Services, December Muhammad here.
Second Chance Employer and Community Education
“It shouldn't be done to be charitable or altruistic. It should be because your organization is committed to hiring the best person for a job."
- Genevieve Martin, Executive Director, Dave’s Killer Bread
ABOUT RISE’s Second Chance Employer and Community Education:
RISE’s Employment Team builds relationships within the community and other workforce organizations to collectively participate in events that educate the community on second chance hiring and how to support individuals reentering the workforce after incarceration.
The employer engagement and relationship component focuses on building and maintaining relationships with employers in Nebraska that not just hire justice impacted individuals, but empower their employment journey. These relationships help generate opportunities for RISE graduates returning to the community. Employer education is composed of opportunities for employers to engage with the organization and our program graduates throughout the year through employment fairs, lunch and learns and panel opportunities.
“Employers are no longer just asking why they should consider second chance hiring. They are asking how they can successfully implement it within their organizations.”
December Muhammad, Director of Employment Services
Community-Based Offerings:
Employment and Resource Fairs
April 2027 - Omaha | August 2027 - Lincoln
Available to:
All RISE program graduates
Non-RISE graduates
Any system-impacted person
Hiring Employers
Resource Providers
Lunch and Learns for Employers
2027 Dates TBD
Available to:
Employers
Resource Providers
Panel Opportunities
Upon Request Available to:
Employers
Resource Providers
Questions Or want to Enroll or learn about Second Chance Hiring?
Email December Muhammad, Director of RISE Employment Services
NEED DIFFERENT SUPPORT?
If our program or offerings are not the best fit for you, we work to connect individuals with other community resources, including but not limited to:
Read About Second Chance Hiring in Nebraska:
RISE Programs
-
In-Prison Program
-
Youth + Family Program
-
RISE Business Academy
-
Reentry Services