From Incarceration to Industry: Connecting Corrections to Apprenticeship
Helping states and correctional systems build real, sustainable pipelines from custody to career through registered apprenticeship and reentry-aligned training.
Every year, thousands of incarcerated individuals complete training, earn credentials, and prepare to return home—yet face outdated systems that fail to connect them to real jobs.
Apprenticeship can be the bridge. But only when states, DOCs, and employers work together to design pathways that start before release and continue into meaningful employment.
That’s where Pardon Me! comes in. We help correctional systems, apprenticeship sponsors, and employers build that bridge—with strategy, storytelling, and system know-how that works.
Evaluate current DOC training and apprenticeship alignment, identify gaps, and offer recommendations.
Help states or facilities engage local employers, associations and unions to build industry-informed pathways.
Support development of new behind-the-wall programs or transitions to post-release employment.
Design and launch small-scale, measurable pilot programs for pre-apprenticeship or direct job placement.
Subcontract or co-lead apprenticeship expansion efforts aligned with justice-involved populations.
Founded by Joshua Johnson—former State Director of Apprenticeship and a justice-impacted workforce leader—Pardon Me! brings lived experience, system-level insight, and a national policy perspective to the table. We’ve helped states, nonprofits, and national intermediaries design inclusive apprenticeship strategies, and we understand how to speak the language of both government and transformation.
When we say second chances work—we’re living proof.
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