“The people who left — it gave them hope.”

Paul was one of the 30 graduates who have taken part in the Sandusky County Sheriff’s Office’s IGNITE program since its inception in 2023. Standing for “Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education,” the IGNITE program is designed to provide education, training, and other opportunities for inmates to help prepare them for release and reduce recidivism. 

Brought to the county by Sheriff Chris Hilton, Sandusky County’s IGNITE program is the first of its kind in the state of Ohio. IGNITE offers multiple courses for participants, utilizing the support of community partners to provide life skills, job readiness, health and wellness, and other courses, including Great Lakes Community Action Partnership (GLCAP) WorkAdvance program’s career coaching services. In her role as a GLCAP career coach, Jamie Collins helps people, no matter what their circumstances, secure work and educational opportunities that lead to more promising careers.

“Coaching is different,” Jamie said. “You get to know who you’re working with on a different level. You know more about their lives, their struggles, their victories, all of that because you’re helping to work on those barriers and those challenges.”

Provided in partnership with the Ohio Manufacturers Association, WorkAdvance fit perfectly with the IGNITE program, as WorkAdvance focuses on providing career opportunities in the manufacturing center, especially for those who face barriers to employment. 

Almost 60 years old, Paul had a strong work history, having worked lengthy back-to-back stints at local plants. He had been employed all his life, often working long hours to provide for his children. But, as a result of a DUI charge, he ended up in jail in spring 2024. There, Paul found himself having to reset, recover, and reimagine what his future would look like. Like many IGNITE participants, Paul joined simply as an opportunity to get out of his cell.

“That’s what it was — just to get out,” he said.

Paul found that the program offered more than just a way to fight his boredom. He connected immediately with Jamie and her fellow career coach Angela Long, who both lead the one-month WorkAdvance CareerReady course for IGNITE, which itself is typically an eight to ten-week course. 

“When they started talking, it really interested me,” he said.

Angela and Jamie meet with participants three times a week during the course, covering topics like effective communication, basic math skills, and financial literacy. WorkAdvance CareerReady courses also provide Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) ten-hour certification training, a useful course for anyone entering the manufacturing sector. More importantly, career coaching made it more reassuring for Paul to know he had support as he prepared to exit the jail and seek employment.

Jamie’s assistance with his resumé was especially helpful, Paul said.

“That was great because I haven’t had a resumé in over 30 years,” he said. “She’s such a good writer. She’s right to the point.”

With his work history and commitment, Paul was in a good position to find a career upon reentry, Jamie said. Still, Paul was able to benefit from support such monetary incentives for job retention offered by the WorkAdvance program. Other assistance may help with securing housing as well as gas cards to help with transportation to and from work, Jamie noted. 

“When they get out, they sometimes have nothing. We’re really trying to eliminate every barrier that gets in the way,” she said. 

Paul now works at a distribution company based in Sandusky County, taking care of maintenance at two warehouse facilities. He frequently works outdoors, something Paul enjoys, even in cold weather. He likes having the opportunity to spend time with his children and grandchildren, as well as doing anything that gives him time to be outside. 

“Cutting grass, making things look nice and have curb appeal—that’s a hobby to me,” he said. 

He enjoys the people he works with and the support he continues to receive through career coaching. Jamie said he’s a model for how a partnership with career coaches and job-seekers should work.

“His follow-through was fantastic. And that’s what it takes. It works both ways,” she said. “There’s never been a time I’ve called Paul that he hasn’t called right back. Everything I’ve asked him to do, he’s done to the best of his ability. It takes that partnership to really make this work. It can’t just be one-sided. It has to be us working together.”

And that support keeps him going. 

“It gives you a positive energy,” he said, “like you’re not lost in the shuffle somewhere.