Everyone makes mistakes. However, Mid-Atlantic States Career and Education Center (MASCEC) believes everyone also deserves a second chance.
Through the ACRO program – Academic, Career, Re-entry, Opportunity – MASCEC assists inmates with the skills they will need to jump back into the workforce once they are released.
“I’ve been doing this for about eight years now, and I really do enjoy it,” said Robin Buoncuore, ACRO Program Manager. “Since its inception, we have had great success with the many people we help.”
ACRO works much like the Parolee Placement Program (PEPP) as it takes place while the individual is still incarcerated.
Participants can earn ServSafe Food Handler certification, as well as participate in the ServeSafe Manager course.
“Mid-Atlantic’s ServSafe Certification Program has a 98-percent plus pass rate,” Buoncuore said. “They gain the tools they need to make them more employable when they get back out into society.”
In addition to ACRO, Mid-Atlantic States has successfully operated PEPP since its inception in 2011.
PEPP is a state-funded program which gives individuals who have been incarcerated the additional support in securing employment in hopes of lowering recidivism rates. Mid-Atlantic is the only organization that offers PEPP in Southern New Jersey.
“Mid-Atlantic has helped more than 4,500 people get and keep a job after coming out of incarceration,” said Glen Donelson, President/CEO of Mid-Atlantic. “Less than five percent of those who obtain jobs return to prison.”
PEPP also includes assistance with transportation, education, and life skills to fully engage in a successful life after incarceration.
For more information about the ACRO and PEPP programs, call 856-514-2200 or email .
