Over the 23 months since its beginning, the WFD has seen an increase in the proportion of offenders employed, an increase in the wages earned, and an expanded range of employers committed to hiring qualified offenders. The goals of the WFD are to reduce recidivism (reduction in new arrests), increase employment of offenders, increase earnings of offenders, increase levels of skill training and education, and enhance employment opportunities. The WFD was launched in three phases. Phase I started with outreach to community providers of vocational programs. Phase I also involved the development and analysis of the target offender population. Phase II began with a public kickoff event on December 7, 2006. Attendees were all the judges in the district, representatives from Delaware’s Congressional delegation, the U.S. Attorney, the Federal Public Defender, representatives from nearly all the social services agencies, State correctional officials, and the media. In Phase II, probation officers began to focus on securing skilled labor positions for offenders as an avenue for good jobs with benefits and long-term employment. A notable success was the securing of support for the program from the executive director of the Delaware Trades and Constructions Unions, an umbrella organization for approximately 15 trade unions. Phase III consisted of securing and dispensing grant funds under the Research to Results Federal grant program. This funding supported the hiring of a part-time community resource specialist whose duties are to cultivate additional job opportunities and assist with job preparation for offenders. 6 figures and 7 references