As part of its commitment to providing paths to success for justice-impacted individuals, Aramark Correctional Services (ACS) is partnering its IN2WORK program with I.G.N.I.T.E., a program dedicated to comprehensive education, job training, and post-incarceration work opportunities and assistance.
ACS’s IN2WORK (I2W) program offers food and retail training in both the classroom and the hands-on kitchen and commissary spaces. I2W Food Service focuses on the kitchen, including storing, preparing, and service food safely; I2W Retail concentrates on the daily operation of a warehouse, including safe operation of equipment as well as cleanliness and sanitation. Graduates of the program earn the ServSafe Managers certification from the National Restaurant Association or a Certified Specialist certificate from the National Retail Federation, respectively, both nationally recognized educational paths.
“We are committed to the vision of utilizing food and commissary to drive a positive, healthy change that connects incarcerated individuals to life beyond their incarceration,” said Tim Barttrum, President and CEO of Aramark Correctional Services.
The mission of IN2WORK is to help break the cycle of recidivism by enabling incarcerated individuals to take control of their lives while still incarcerated, so they can successfully transition back into their communities, post-release. I2W has more than 8,500 graduates and can be found in 30 states. Furthermore, it is in more than 50% of the facilities in which ACS provides kitchen and commissary service with a goal of 100%. The program includes paid internships, scholarships for both the graduates and their family members, and a path to employment within Aramark.
The National Sheriff’s Association program—I.G.N.I.T.E.—aligns with this mission, priding itself on creating purpose and establishing hope for its students. Started in Genesee County, MI, the program currently runs in six states: MI, MN, NC, ND, OH, and VA. Incarcerated students can pick from educational paths in trucking, construction, agriculture, business, and hospitality, to name a few, as well as earn their GED.
In order to ensure these programs are providing valid paths to success, researchers from Harvard University, Brown University, and the University of Michigan are tracking data on courses, court cases, and recidivism.
“The IGNITE program restores value into people that, even if they made bad decisions their whole life, they can come back—we call it second chances” said Sheriff Swanson of Genesee County. “It also gives them a skillset and allows them to go down a path they’ve never been encouraged to go down; they make better decisions and never come back to jail.”
Importantly, both programs prioritize second chance employment after graduation, in recognition that successful reentry requires paths to making a living. Not only do the programs offer the education and certification needed for careers, but they also prioritize hiring graduates of the programs and work on expanding the network of job partners who are willing to provide second chance employment.
