Project Overcome Helps Individuals Learn Interview Skills after Incarceration

April is Second Chance Month, and Goodwill Industries International is shining a light on some of the work we are doing to help people impacted by the criminal justice system.

Recently, Goodwill teamed with Accenture to develop an innovative virtual experience called Project Overcome. The experience is designed specifically for people impacted by the criminal justice system who want to enter the workforce.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, more than 650,000 individuals are released from prison each year, and approximately two-thirds are rearrested within three years. As these individuals transition into the workforce, they need to be able to achieve their education and employment goals.

Project Overcome uses virtual reality to give participants a 3D-immersive experience in a mock interview with an HR manager and a coaching session with a career counselor. This experience is based on realistic scenarios often encountered by individuals who were formerly involved with the justice system.

Additionally, six individuals who were impacted by the criminal justice system share their real-life journeys to finding employment so learners can gain insights from their experiences.

Project Overcome uses a branched narrative approach to these dialogues, with the capacity to create millions of unique combinations of how the training can play out — all depending on the individual user’s choices. The goal is to assist people with finding employment by helping them speak comfortably about their incarceration during their job-hunting process, while also learning to use modern technologies in a low-risk environment.

Learn more about this program in our newsroom.


You can also read more about this project in this blog by Tony Worlds, Accenture’s management consulting manager in Atlanta, GA: Doing ‘goodwill’ with my consulting skills and VR tech.