The Department of Labor offices will be closed on Friday, March 29, 2024, in observance of Good Friday. All payments scheduled for March 29, 2024, will be processed on Monday, April 1, 2024. Please allow up to one week before contacting us regarding the status of payments. Thank you and have a great day. More Info

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Delaware Department of Labor



About Us




Mission:

The APEX program is dedicated to providing opportunities to individuals with criminal histories who wish to obtain gainful employment. The program aims to accomplish this by helping clients through the pardons and expungement process, providing employer education, and advancing legislative reform.

Who we are:

APEX is operated by The Division of Employment & Training (DET) and jointly funded by the Division of Social Services (DSS) and DET the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR). Our offices are located in Wilmington and Dover, and we also provide services in Georgetown and Seaford. The APEX program is open to the general public, and assists individuals with disabilities, TANF (welfare) recipients, and foster youth.

History:

APEX was initiated in February 2012 by the Governor’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Employer’s Committee, in partnership with the AmeriCorps VISTA program and the Delaware Division of Small Business.

The TANF Committee is a governor-appointed committee comprised of voting private-sector members which include local employers within the healthcare, manufacturing, and security industries. The supporting state agencies of the Committee include the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), Department of Labor (DOL), Department of Transportation (DelDOT), and Delaware Division of Small Business.

The mission of the TANF Employer’s Committee is to bring together employers and state agencies to assist TANF recipients in their transition from welfare to work. The committee identified criminal records as a significant barrier to entering the workforce for the TANF population. The TANF Committee addressed this barrier by creating of the Advancement through Pardons and Expungements (APEX) Program.

AmeriCorps VISTA is a federal program that funds full-time volunteer positions in government and non-profit agencies, with the goal of enhancing their capacity to fight poverty. From 2011 to 2012, VISTA provided 3 volunteers- Matthew Rosen, Matthew Brandi, and Rachel Guglielmo- who designed, initiated, and operated the program.

During this period, the Delaware Division of Small Business housed the program, and provided it with funding, resources, and support. Sonia Aguilar, Director of Workforce Development served as the program’s supervisor, and oversaw its development.

Special Thanks

The APEX would like to thank all of our partners, collaborators, and supporters who have made this program possible:



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