Drive To Employ Ex-Offenders Attracts An Extra 120 Businesses

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• Drive To Employ Ex-Offenders Attracts An Extra 120 Businesses

10 January 2019

More than 120 extra businesses have registered to work with prisons and set offenders on a path to employment, Justice Secretary David Gauke has revealed.

Newly-registered businesses could join more than 300 already working in prisons.

The businesses have come forward in the 6 months since the launch of Government Education and Employment Strategy, which set out a series of measures to boost prisoners’ skills while in custody and improve their chances of securing work on release.

Reoffending costs the taxpayer £15 billion each year and evidence shows that ex-offenders in employment are up to 9 percentage points less likely to commit further crime.

Seeing past convictions

A major focus of the strategy is to encourage a culture change within companies so that they see beyond an offender’s conviction to their potential as an employee.

The interested businesses span a range of sectors, including construction and retail, and they could join employers such as Virgin Trains, DHL and Recycling Lives which are among more than 300 around the UK already seeing the benefits of employing those with a criminal record.

From the Ministry of Justice, David Gauke said: "I believe that building up offenders’ skills and helping them into work encourages them to turn their backs on crime, benefitting them and society as a whole. I am delighted that so many businesses are recognising the value of giving ex-offenders a second chance and a job - their interest sends a clear message to offenders that if they work hard and behave well in prison then real opportunities await them.

"I would encourage more businesses to consider getting involved in our New Futures Network and help ex-offenders into work."

Amey

Andy Milner, CEO of Amey (which has a substantial FM arm), said: "At Amey, we believe in hiring the best people for the job, no matter what their background or history. For us, hiring ex-offenders is not only the right thing to do but it also makes good business sense."

Skills gap

Milner continued: "There is a growing skills gap within our industry and within our prison population there is a pool of highly motivated people learning new skills such as engineering, carpentry and plumbing who just need someone to believe in them to help change their lives.

"The ‘Passport into Employment’ programme we have in place as part of our prisons maintenance contract together with our waste recycling partnership with Recycling Lives is helping to support men and women to transform their lives and demonstrates our commitment to rehabilitating ex-offenders."

Other achievements since the strategy was launched include:

• Prisons in Yorkshire have secured a £250,000 investment to start a construction academy at HMP Leeds – to equip offenders with valuable skills ahead of release.

• A new body, the New Futures Network, has been established to build partnerships between prisons and employers - filling skills gaps in companies by providing job opportunities for men and women on release from custody.

• More than 160 education providers have signed up to deliver education in prisons, after a new system was put in place. Governors will be running competitions to bring in these new providers from April.

Picture: More than 120 extra businesses have registered to work with prisons.

Article written by Brian Shillibeer | Published 10 January 2019

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