PRISONER REFORM APRIL 2019
SECOND CHANCES
BY AMY BEST
The Ministry of Justice Employment & Education
Strategy focusses on hiring ex-offenders into
businesses, opening doors for former prisoners, and
giving them a chance to get back on their feet
T he New Futures Network (NFN) is part
of the Ministry of Justice’s Employment
& Education Strategy, launched by Justice
Secretary David Gauke, in May 2018. The
Strategy sets out new measures to boost
prisoners’ skills while in custody and to
improve their chances of securing work on release
to support businesses that have skills shortages and
to help reduce reoffending.
Lance Harris, New Futures Network
manufacturing development manager, said at the
time: “The NFN will build partnerships between
prisons and employers in England and Wales.
These partnerships will help businesses to fill skills
gaps and help prisoners to find employment on
release. NFN will have a Central London-based
team and will have 15 Employment Brokers based
regionally across England and Wales. These brokers
will link businesses to their local prisons, to get
them access to the trained staff that they need to
fill their skills shortages, we can work with both big
business and SMEs.”
In prisons across the UK, around 11,000
offenders go to work each day. Many of these
have been given work in manufacturing sites.
This means they have the skills, relevant NVQ
qualifications and work experience that employers
in the manufacturing sector need.
Overcoming challenges
Negative perceptions
including unreliability and
untrustworthiness are often
some of the biggest concerns
for employers when they
consider hiring an ex-offender.
But the real tangible value and
the positive benefits that they
demonstrate to businesses
that are already employing
ex-offenders (see box), is
helping to challenge these
misconceptions.
Harris says: “Businesses
consistently tell us that the
ex-offenders they employ
are loyal, trustworthy, hardworking
and dedicated
employees. They also tell us
that they often take off fewer
sick days than their other
workers. Ex-offenders see
their jobs as a vital second
chance and they therefore tend
to stay for longer than other
employees and often work their
way up in their organisations.
“Businesses may also worry
about the impact on their
existing staff too, but as Henry
Powell at Inpress Plastics has
found, most businesses have
the opposite experience and
find that if they are open and
transparent, their staff are
generally supportive – as are
their customers.”
Harris says that in addition
to what businesses tell
everyone about them making
great and loyal employees, a
business will know more about
an ex-offender than a regular
employee. “This includes
their full work experience,
training and qualifications, a
behavioural record and details
of their offences.
“The prison itself can also
give lots of advice about the
prisoner as a suitable employee
and their potential suitability
for a company. Businesses can
go to their local prison to meet
and interview current prisoners
who have the training and
skills they need, with a view
to offering them employment
on release.”
Education needed
Lauren Cherry, an ex-offender
herself, knows first hand just
how important these schemes
are. Her aim is to educate more
employers, change their hiring
Lauren Cherry is
keen to highlight
the benefits
of hiring exoffenders
“Businesses tell us that the
ex-offenders they employ are
loyal and hard-working.”
Lance Harris, New Futures Network
11,000
prisoners across
the UK are currently
in employment
32 www.manufacturingmanagement.co.uk
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