The Jacket Microbrewery & Bar has partnered with OBN Foundation to create the Craft Beer Apprenticeship Program. This program takes individuals who have been impacted by the criminal justice system, passed a 4-week Job Readiness Program and provides an education, mentorship and on-the-job training that will lead to full-time employment.

The Apprenticeship Program is certified by the Department of Labor and a post-release apprenticeship program for those individuals who went to prison. It is a “earn & learn”model which means each apprentice will be paid a salary while going to school and attending on-the-job training at a brewery with experienced mentors.

The program is broken down into 4-components:

1. Job Readiness Program (4-weeks)

2. Education (Up to 18-months)

3. On-the-Job Training (9-months)

4. Mentorship (Up to 6-weeks, after graduating Program)

The question we get quite often is why start a craft beer apprenticeship program for felons?

The Facts:

1 The reality is that most formally incarcerated persons who maintain employment for 1-year post release had only a 16% recidivism rate over 3-years as compared to a 52% recidivism rate for those who did not maintain employment. it is even lower for a formerly incarcerated person with some type of education or vocational training.

Once seen as a hobby, the Craft Beer industry has transformed into one of the fastest growing and most popular alcoholic beverage segments in the United States. 2 Industry revenue has increased at an annualized rate of 4.4% to $7.6 billion over 5-years to 2020, including estimated growth of 2.1% in 2020 alone.

The Craft Beer industry in the United States has increased faster than the economy overall. The average Craft Beer business now employs more workers than it did 5-years ago. 3 The total wage paid by the Craft Beer industry increased 13% per year on average over 5-years between 2015 and 2020. The growth in the industry is expected to increase 6.3% in 2022, to $801.5 million.

Recent research has shown that connecting apprenticeship with local workforce systems is a win-win partnership. The strategy helps businesses thrive by building a highly skilled, highly productive workforce, and it helps job seekers access and maintain stable careers with family sustaining wages.

1 Prison Employment Connection https://prison2ec.org

2 IBIS World https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/craft-beer-production-industry/

3 IBIS World https://www.ibisworld.com/industry-statistics/wages/craft-beer-production-united-states/