JustDane to develop a training program for formerly incarcerated people

Madison-area nonprofit JustDane will develop a hospitality management training program for those impacted by incarceration, homelessness, substance abuse, and other life challenges, according to a statement from Ascendium Education Group. The 12-week course will include a hospitality management curriculum to provide a career pathway into restaurant and hotel management and entrepreneurship. The program is expected to launch in 2022 and the development for the program is being kick-started by a $55,000 grant from Ascendium Education Group. According to the United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, nearly one in three people in the U.S. has a criminal record, and a report from the Ford Foundation indicates that lifetime earnings for formerly incarcerated people are almost 30% lower than they are for the rest of the working population.