RICHMOND, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Belden Inc. introduced the company’s Pathways to Employment initiative to Second Lady Karen Pence, Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta, Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams and Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway at its Richmond, Indiana plant.
Pathways to Employment is a community-based solution blending drug rehabilitation with the promise of employment for workers willing to lead drug-free lives. The first-of-its-kind program was designed to address two key challenges facing the U.S.: the opioid epidemic and the shortage of qualified workers available to critical American industries.
“Belden is grateful for the opportunity to present our program to Mrs. Pence, Secretary Acosta, Dr. Adams and Ms. Conway,” said John Stroup, President, CEO and Chairman of Belden Inc. “Working together with mental health and substance abuse experts, we have taken a step toward confronting the challenges facing our neighbors and the local economy. It is my sincere hope that what we learn at Belden can be adopted at workplaces around the country.”
The White House delegation met with Pathways program participants, toured the manufacturing plant and shared remarks with more than 200 Belden employees, community partners and local dignitaries.
"We commend Belden's leadership and decision to provide an innovative response to the challenge the Opioid epidemic is having on their business and our community," said Mrs. Pence. "Instead of turning their back on people battling drug addictions, Belden is coming alongside and providing an opportunity for the employee to get help and recover. This is not only good for the business, but this is also good for the employee's health and for the community."
“We have learned a great deal since launching this as a pilot in February,” said Dean McKenna, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Belden Inc. “While it is continually refined and adapted, the core elements have been outlined in the ‘Belden Blueprint.’ We hope this tool will help other businesses impacted by addiction to design and implement similar programs without compromising on the need for a drug-free workforce.”
In recognition of the Pathways to Employment program, Belden is proud to have been identified as a finalist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s 2018 Corporate Citizen Award.
For more information about the program, visit www.belden.com/pathways-to-employment.
About Belden
Belden Inc., a global leader in high-quality, end-to-end signal transmission solutions, delivers a comprehensive product portfolio designed to meet the mission-critical network infrastructure needs of industrial and enterprise markets. With innovative solutions targeted at reliable and secure transmission of rapidly growing amounts of data, audio and video needed for today’s applications, Belden is at the center of the global transformation to a connected world. Founded in 1902, the company is headquartered in St. Louis and has almost 10,000 employees globally, and manufacturing capabilities in North and South America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit us at www.belden.com; follow us on Twitter @BeldenInc.
Belden, Belden Sending All The Right Signals, the Belden logo and Pathways to Employment are trademarks, service marks or registered trademarks of Belden Inc. or its affiliated companies in the United States and other jurisdictions. Belden and other parties may also have trademark or service mark rights in other terms used herein.