John Chapman: From Incarceration to Disrupting Vocational Trade Training in the U.S.

Business Scale Insights continues its series on Branding with a focus on the development of a Brand Narrative or Story.  To illustrate the power of a great brand narrative or story to propel a business, we invited John Chapman, CEO or Johnny Apple Seed Association (JASA), onto the program to share his compelling testimony. 

John Chapman was sent to jail for selling Walt Disney World tickets on Craigslist in the state of Virginia.  At the time, it was a crime.  What followed after the incident is nothing less than shocking and quite frankly horrifying.  You MUST listen to his story to truly appreciate it. 

After Mr. Chapman's brush with the criminal justice system in the state of Virginia, he had a difficult time finding employment and was homeless for a period of time.   He kept going in and out of interviews.  Once he found a job he could not keep the job after the initial background check. 

His own personal experience inspired him to create JASA.  JASA helps ex-offenders train and get placed in trades.  It is a training program for people to become electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians and other skilled trades.   At the end of the program, participants receive tools and job placement assistance. 

Mr. Chapman's initiative is apparently in dire need in the U.S. right now with aging baby boomes and younger generations not properly trained for the trades.  Recently, INC magazine quoting  the Society of Human Resource Management's (SHRM) "2019 State of the Workplace stated that the 

The top six missing skills in job applicants are:

        1. Problem-solving, critical thinking, innovation, and creativity (37 percent)

        2. Ability to deal with complexity and ambiguity (32 percent)

        3. Communication (31 percent)

        4. Trade skills (carpentry, plumbing, welding, machining, etc.) (31 percent)

         5. Data analysis / data science (20 percent)

         6. Science / engineering / medical (18 percent)

 https://www.inc.com/ryan-jenkins/this-is-most-in-demand-skill-of-future.html?cid=hmsub3 

Trade skills are lacking in the work force to a GREATER degree than data analysis, science, engineering and medical skills. 

If you are interested in finding out more about JASA or John Chapman, please feel free to reach out him via the URLs below:

 

https://presjasa.wixsite.com/website-1/staff

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-chapman-6736574b/

http://whatsupwoodbridge.com/manassas-trade-school/ 

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