The program, launching at Chillicothe Correctional Institution (CCI) in southern Ohio, provides incarcerated residents with secure iPads pre-loaded with trade-specific training modules. Courses are customized by trade and state, covering both technical skills like plumbing or carpentry and workplace competencies like communication and industry software.
Steve Metzman, CEO of iBusiness Technologies, the company behind Connected Apprentice, said the effort is not only intended to address labor shortages but to decrease rates of recidivism among incarcerated people. According to a 2025 report from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC), the rate of return within three years was 17.9 percent. At the national level, this rate is nearly 40 percent, according to the Council on Criminal Justice.
Steady employment can significantly reduce the likelihood of re-arrest, with one Ohio study showing it does so by more than 50 percent.
“With the explosive growth of construction and infrastructure projects like data centers and highways, they need people that are willing to work hard and do a good job,” Metzman said.
Indeed, data center construction spending in the U.S. increased by 70 percent from May 2023 to May 2024 and is projected to continue growing, according to a 2025 report from the tech advocacy group American Edge Project. The report said a typical data center construction project can employ 1,600 local workers.
In addition to filling workforce needs, Metzman said the Connected Apprentice curriculum brings participants up to speed on the increasing use of technology in high-demand fields.
Photo credit: iBusiness Technologies
“They’re all using tablets in the field,” Metzman said. “When somebody goes out for an air conditioning service call, they have a tablet. If they’re going out to put a new roof on the house, they have a tablet to do the quote.”
Self-paced coursework in the program includes video instruction, a basic introduction to technology and training on industry-specific software. For example, programs tailored to prospective plumbers or sprinkler installers will be trained on the app Pipe Trades Pro, used commonly in these roles. The program tracks progress and allows correctional staff to monitor student engagement.
Depending on when an incarcerated person's prison term started, Metzman said merely interacting with an iPad could be an important experience. For example, for someone who entered the facility without ever having owned a smartphone, it can be helpful to gain familiarity with a tablet before being asked to use one on the job, he said.
He added that the program’s success will be measured by the ability of former inmates to secure jobs and avoid reincarceration.
In recent years, Ohio has invested in prison education programs to help incarcerated residents gain employment upon release. In 2025, thousands earned high school equivalency, career technical education (CTE), job apprenticeships and college certifications, according to the ODRC report.
“It really enables people that come out who are willing to work hard to earn good money,” Metzman said. “If these people can make $60,000 to $70,000 a year, they can be comfortable providing for their family, and they’re not enticed back to the higher paying, illegal forms of making money.”
CCI is not investing in education for any one field, Metzman said, but inviting participants in education programs to choose paths based on their interests.
“They want to have a catalog of different offerings for their soon-to-be-released residents,” he said. “Then, depending on what interests somebody has and maybe the income level someone’s going for, they would then choose the specialty and use the iPads to learn that trade.”
According to Metzman, the program will be refined at CCI before expanding across 20 correctional institutions statewide.
