# Kentucky initiative aims to open employment doors for second-chance workers **Published:** 2026-09-02T01:08:17.404Z **Source:** [Public News Service - Kentucky](https://app.publicnewsservice.org/story/kentucky-jobs-initiative-aims-to-boost-second-chance-employment-1/daa3b970-82b4-462f-821d-0c13860eeb8b) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/kentucky-initiative-aims-to-open-employment-doors-for-second-chance-workers Kentucky employers are tapping into an untapped labor pool through a statewide initiative aimed at connecting people with criminal records and those struggling with addiction to stable employment opportunities. The [Kentucky Comeback initiative](https://kentuckycomeback.com/), which was launched by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Foundation in 2020, is helping businesses understand how to hire workers facing barriers to employment while boosting the state's chronically low workforce participation rates. Ryan Bowman, director of partnerships for the foundation, said the effort targets those willing and able to work despite having faced long-term unemployment or other obstacles. "Where we want to get more people from the sidelines that are willing and able to work, that are qualified to work, that do have some barriers to employment, give them the opportunity by showing businesses tools and resources that they have available to them," Bowman explained to Public News Service Kentucky. Kentucky's workforce participation rates have lagged significantly behind national averages for years. According to economic data, Kentucky has historically ranked among the lowest states in workforce participation, a challenge that has prompted business and government leaders to pursue new strategies for connecting workers to jobs. Research from Stanford University and the National Safety Council has shown that the opioid crisis has devastated the nation's workforce, causing higher rates of worker absenteeism and impaired performance. The initiative aims to address both the state's employment gap and the barriers faced by those in recovery from addiction and those with criminal histories. Barbara Aker, corporate director for Richmond Baking and More Than A Bakery, two production bakeries in Woodford County, has embraced second-chance hiring. A personal connection to substance abuse issues motivated her to create new employment pathways for the formerly incarcerated through a referral program that has become a steady source of workers. "We also have leaders growing within our organization. So of that 10%, almost all have been promoted once, if not twice, within our bakery walls," Aker said. The Kentucky Comeback initiative has also partnered with [Goodwill of Kentucky](https://www.goodwillky.org/) and Legal Aid of the Bluegrass to expand access to expungement services, which help remove criminal records that often prevent people from finding employment. The partnership hosts regular expungement clinics across the state to reduce these barriers to workforce entry. ## Sources - [Public News Service - Kentucky](https://app.publicnewsservice.org/story/kentucky-jobs-initiative-aims-to-boost-second-chance-employment-1/daa3b970-82b4-462f-821d-0c13860eeb8b) - [Kentucky Comeback official website](https://kentuckycomeback.com/) - [Goodwill of Kentucky](https://www.goodwillky.org/) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Public News Service - Kentucky, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://app.publicnewsservice.org/story/kentucky-jobs-initiative-aims-to-boost-second-chance-employment-1/daa3b970-82b4-462f-821d-0c13860eeb8b.