CHEYENNE - The Wyoming Department of Corrections is spiffing up the tools it uses to attract new employees.

With 475 jobs to fill in the next two years, the agency has little choice but to get creative.

Recruiters are turning to the Internet, video, job fairs and a private firm to help snag workers. They're scouring states as far away as Michigan, Kansas and Illinois for candidates.

They're also spreading the word at colleges and high schools, singing the praises of corrections jobs to students as young as sophomores in high school - students who will turn 18 the year the new medium-security prison opens in Torrington.

Officials hope that by updating the department's image and casting a wider net, they'll spark interest in a field that struggles to compete for workers in Wyoming's high-stepping economy.

"We're figuring out the best ways to get the message out to as many people as possible," department Recruitment Manager Brenda Reedy said.

Wyoming's corrections system is down 92 workers right now. And the state Legislature just approved funding for another 95 employees as part of a system-wide expansion.

On top of that, the department will need 288 employees when the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institute opens in 2008.

Driving the need for more help is the state's growing inmate population and a strong desire by the Department of Corrections to bring 500 male and female inmates now housed in three Texas prisons back to Wyoming.

Reaching out

Last week, department officials inked a one-year, $30,000 deal with NAS Recruitment Communications, an international work force recruiting firm that has an office in Denver. NAS will help push prison jobs via the Internet, video and out-of-state job fairs. It'll provide other services, too.

An online video production now in the works will give job candidates a taste of what it's like to put on the Wyoming Department of Corrections uniform.

"This is a way to target younger people through technology," Reedy said.

Recruiters are actively recruiting in eight states. They create temporary recruitment centers in hotel rooms, where they try to wow applicants with snappy displays and information about the benefits of a state job.

The department's portable application system is advanced enough that candidates can complete virtually all of the requirements in the hotel, Reedy said.

Building strategy

When they take their message on the road, recruiters aren't just picking Anytown, USA. They're targeting communities with high unemployment and towns with criminal justice programs at their colleges.

They're also showing up in prison towns, hoping experienced correctional officers are ready for jobs in Wyoming's smaller and probably newer prisons.

Military towns also are a target, because former military personnel are good at making the transition to prison workers, department spokeswoman Melinda Brazzale said.

The efforts are showing early signs of success.

Torrington couple Joe and Desiree Garcia were among the first to sign up for jobs after the department announced the site for the new prison. The Garcias are raising five children, and they both wanted better pay.

"We were looking to make a life change and to have a career," Desiree Garcia said.

Joe Garcia now works at the Wyoming Women's Center in Lusk and hopes to transfer to Torrington in 2008.

"It's a good place to work," Desiree Garcia said. "They really help you try to move up."

Tough competition

The shortage of prison workers is hardest felt at the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins.

Just three years ago, the prison had no job openings. Today, there are 71. The Legislature authorized funding for 41 more workers earlier this month.

Department officials say the booming oil and gas industry is a major contributor to the shortage in Rawlins, located near one of the hottest boom areas in the state.

With pay starting at $12.78 an hour, the prison can't keep pace with an industry known to pay twice that much for entry-level workers.

The oil and gas boom also is contributing to a shortage of affordable homes in Rawlins.

"We can recruit people from out of state, and then they move to Rawlins and there's no housing," Reedy said.

A different story

Department officials don't think the Torrington prison will face the same staffing issues.

Torrington Workforce Center Supervisor Sue Davis said she's taking 10 to 15 calls a day from residents interested in jobs at the 700-bed prison.

Located in extreme eastern Wyoming, Torrington's largely agricultural economy is not as influenced by the oil and gas boom.

"I really have no doubt that we can fill the jobs," Davis said.

Goshen County's unemployment rate is slightly lower that the statewide rate. But Davis said the figure is misleading.

"We have many jobs in this area that pay way below the poverty level," she said.

Davis said prison jobs might also appeal to agricultural workers. Farmers will be able to work for a paycheck and benefits while still contributing to the family operation, she said.

The Workforce Center and the Department of Corrections have been spreading the word at job fairs, and to students in Goshen County and nearby Niobrara County, as well as Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington.

The department's Reedy said she doesn't have any illusions about the recruitment efforts. As long as the state's economy stays strong, the department will have to fight to recruit workers.

But she said the new approach is promising.

"I don't think this is going to be a short-term thing," Reedy said. "We need to come up with long-term solutions."

If you're interested:

Call the Wyoming Department of Corrections recruitment office at (877) WDOC-JOB and leave a message. You also can learn about department jobs, including salary information and hiring requirements, from the department's Web site at {M7http://doc.state.wy.us/.

Reach Star-Tribune capital bureau reporter Jared Miller at (307) 632-1244.