Just want to give my thanks to all the success coaches here at FREEWORLD.
Everyone with whom I've communicated with has been very helpful and inspirational throughout this transition and it's paid off. I passed my driving test and earned my CDL and am on my way to a greater path in life. So again thank you all can't wait to see what lays ahead on the road!!!!
A message from Jason
The work that we do wouldn’t be possible without your support. Workforce Boards are a powerful ally to help scale effective programs that uplift our communities and provide the people we serve a legitimate second chance at life so they can take care of their families and break generational cycles of poverty. Thank you for taking the time to fill in your contact details and for allowing us an opportunity to learn from your experience. Let’s create impact together!
Press
Hello!
I’m Jason Wang, Founder/CEO of FreeWorld. FreeWorld is a tech nonprofit that trains and places people with criminal histories into careers in the trucking industry.
At 15, I was arrested for Aggravated Robbery, and sent to a juvenile prison for 12 years. There, I met hundreds of kids who had no hope for their future. It was heartbreaking to see them leave, only to come back. It stirred in me a desire to end mass incarceration. That’s what led to the start of FreeWorld. This is my second chance to provide second chances to others and pay back the harm I caused as a teenager.
“Taking away a person’s livelihood is akin to killing them.”
1 in 3 American adults – 70 million people – have a criminal history. Once you have a criminal history, it is almost impossible to find a living wage job. Poverty is the leading indicator for crime. That’s a primary reason why 76% of people who leave prison, end up back in prison.
“We need to recruit 1.1 million new truck drivers over the next 10 years, just to keep up with current economic demand.”
If you bought it, a truck probably brought it. Inflation, empty store shelves, and skyrocketing fuel prices are due, in part, to a massive labor shortage in the trucking industry.
The opportunity:
We solve this market and societal problem by training and placing people with criminal histories into living wage careers in the trucking industry. This is how it works:
We work with parole, probation, nonprofits and other agencies to share our program with people with criminal histories. They can apply online.
Students attend our permit classes online, where we provide trucking education to help them pass a CDL A permit exam. We pay for their health exam, drug screen, and the cost of the permit test at the DMV. We also help them get a birth certificate, social security card and provide free Uber rides if they need transportation.
Our students attend trucking school to get behind-the-wheel experience. While they are in school, we provide each student a $1,500 stipend.
Once a student graduates with a commercial drivers license, we leverage our network of employers to get them employed. We provide 5 years of supportive services to ensure graduates are successful long term.
Metrics:
4,700+ people served across 8 States over the past 3 years.
Job retention rate: 86% of our graduates are still employed in the trucking industry over the past 3 years.
Employment rate: 85% of our graduates are placed into a job within 1 month of graduation.
School completion rate: 86% of our students graduate with a CDL A license.
1st year income: This differs from State to State, but nationally our graduates earn $60,000+ if they work local routes. If they choose to drive across State lines, they can earn $80,000+ in their first year.
Licensure: All graduates earn a Class A Commercial Drivers license.
Impact: We have a <5% recidivism rate. Graduates on average earn $35,000 more after completing our program. 83% of our graduates are minorities.
What we’re asking for:
We have the capacity to work with 3 workforce boards this year. We are finalizing which workforce boards we will work with on June 1.
If you would like us to follow up with you, please input your name, email, and state in the form above and we will reach out to you!
Thank you so much!