A transformational journey from prison to employment
by Matt Jocks
For Jesus Nunez, it had been a life of closed doors. When one of those doors opened and he got to see what was on the other side, he found himself thankful – and a little amazed.
“It’s still a shock for me today,” he said. “It still baffles my mind that I’m in this position.”
That position is Facilitator for the Construction Pre-apprenticeship Program at Valley Apprenticeship Connections, operated by the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission.
He came there from ValleyBuild, the construction training program established by the Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board. Nunez earned 15 certifications in varied construction skills and, after a slow start, put them to use.
But it is in his role with VAC that he has truly found a calling. There, Nunez works with many whose stories echo his own.
“Since I’ve been on this journey to change my life, I’ve been blessed left and right.”
Jesus Nunez, facilitator for Valley Apprenticeship Connections
Connections
His rocky path began at age 5. Foster homes, group homes, juvenile hall, California Youth Authority and, finally, hard prison time. Nunez said that, from ages 13 to 25, he was never out of confinement for more than six months at a time.
It wasn’t until he met his wife and started a family that Nunez began the turnaround. “I had to put childish things to the side,” he said. “I had to figure out what I needed to do to go hard for them; to become a better man and figure out how to live this new lifestyle that I had no idea how to do.”
Carrying the brand of his former life – tattoos on his face and head – into meetings with potential employers made Nunez initially feel that the odds were stacked high against him. What he found in his journey through ValleyBuild and VAC were people committed to guiding him down his new path.
Nunez received help in how best to present himself in interviews, through what he wore and what he said. There was assistance in filling out applications and even math tutoring, which answered a specific need for Nunez.
What Nunez didn’t realize was that he could fill a need as well.
ValleyBuild has an emphasis on serving underemployed groups in the community, including those with histories of justice involvement. Those who have successfully navigated their way are the best equipped to lead others.
“He kind of fell into our lap,” said Patrick Turner, senior assistant director for Fresno EOC Training and Employment Services. “Those who come from that background are so tired of being in the game. When someone throws them a lifeline, they wrap themselves in it and become disciples of the program. Mr. Nunez is the living, breathing gospel of that.”
Nunez’s ability to relate to those clients in a way others cannot has provided a jolt to his confidence. He has encountered men he knew from prison and has helped guide them through a program called “Thinking for a Change” that guides participants through replacing violent responses with problem-solving.
“I find myself teaching students this, while learning it at the same time,” he said.
There are tangible benefits in reaching out to marginalized populations, making sure construction projects aren’t stalled by labor shortages, and enhancing the region’s tax base. However, it also meets a deeper goal of the workforce development board.
“If we don’t give someone like Mr. Nunez a second chance,” said VAC program manager William Jackson, “they can fall into the same situations that got them here.”
Nunez, meanwhile, has left those situations behind him. “Since I’ve been on this journey to change my life, I’ve been blessed left and right,” he said. “So many doors have opened up to me.”
Visiting ValleyBuild’s Construction Training page to learn more about construction as a career option. Read more Fresno Workforce Development Board stories here.
