Grocers: A New Source of Skilled Retail Workers
The value proposition for Uplift’s workforce training program is pretty clear: spend six weeks in the classroom learning some of the soft and hard skills required to succeed in the workforce, and one of the group’s partners will give you a job. Uplift’s goal is to keep ex-offenders in and around Philadelphia from returning to prison. Thanks to its partnership with local employers, Uplift reports that only a tiny percentage of the people who complete the training program are rearrested or reincarcerated.

Philadelphia, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Debra Wayne, 45, works as the seafood manager at Fresh Grocer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

Philadelphia, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Debra Wayne, 45, works as the seafood manager at Fresh Grocer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

Philadelphia, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Debra Wayne, 45, works as the seafood manager at Fresh Grocer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

Philadelphia, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Debra Wayne, 45, works as the seafood manager at Fresh Grocer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

Philadelphia, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Debra Wayne, 45, works as the seafood manager at Fresh Grocer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

Philadelphia, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Debra Wayne, 45, works as the seafood manager at Fresh Grocer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

Philadelphia, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Debra Wayne, 45, works as the seafood manager at Fresh Grocer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

ROXBOROUGH, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Lashawna Bennett, 43, works as the assistant manager at Superfresh in Roxborough, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

ROXBOROUGH, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Lashawna Bennett, 43, works as the assistant manager at Superfresh in Roxborough, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

ROXBOROUGH, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Lashawna Bennett, 43, works as the assistant manager at Superfresh in Roxborough, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

ROXBOROUGH, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Lashawna Bennett, 43, works as the assistant manager at Superfresh in Roxborough, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

ROXBOROUGH, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Lashawna Bennett, 43, works as the assistant manager at Superfresh in Roxborough, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

ROXBOROUGH, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Lashawna Bennett, 43, works as the assistant manager at Superfresh in Roxborough, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

Philadelphia, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Wayne Garrett, 45, manages the dairy section at ShopRite in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

Philadelphia, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Wayne Garrett, 45, manages the dairy section at ShopRite in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

Philadelphia, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Wayne Garrett, 45, manages the dairy section at ShopRite in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

Philadelphia, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Wayne Garrett, 45, manages the dairy section at ShopRite in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

Philadelphia, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Wayne Garrett, 45, manages the dairy section at ShopRite in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

Philadelphia, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Wayne Garrett, 45, manages the dairy section at ShopRite in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)

Philadelphia, PA - ARPIL 27, 2019: Wayne Garrett, 45, manages the dairy section at ShopRite in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 27, 2019 as a participant in Uplift. The re-entry workforce program is a supermarket based, on the job training program designed to create second chance employment opportunities for re-entering citizens. The program develops hard and soft skills and each participant that completes the six-week classroom portion of the program will be hired by BrownÕs Supermarket in Philadelphia. (Jessica Kourkounis)