With SME builders increasingly unable to fill vacant roles with trained and skilled tradespeople, could prison leavers offer an untapped resource of skills to plug the labour shortage? New Futures Network think so.
They work closely with construction companies to help prison leavers in England and Wales into employment, offering practical skills training and support throughout the recruitment process for both candidates and employers. So, if you’re a small or medium-sized (SME) builder looking to expand your team, what are the benefits?
The short version
Why employ prison leavers?
- Around 50,000 people leave prison each year, but only 17% manage to get a job within the first year*.
- Alongside existing skills, many leavers gain industry qualifications in prison.
- Evidence from employers suggest it improves staff retention – with prison leavers being motivated to stay in jobs longer.
- It can also save on recruitment costs.
- Social responsibility and making a difference to prison leavers and their families.
- Research from the Ministry of Justice shows that 90% of businesses that employ ex-offenders agreed that they are good attenders, motivated and trustworthy†.
How can SME builders get involved?
- New Futures Network can work with your business to discuss the work opportunities and prison(s) that meet your recruitment needs.
- You can employ a prison leaver on their release or choose to work with a serving prisoner up to two years before their release. This scheme – Release on Temporary Licence – enables risk-assessed prisoners to work in the community whilst serving the last part of their sentence, and could include taking up an apprenticeship.
- New Futures Network and partners will identify prisoners who meet your job specifications and support them to apply to take up vacancies on their release.
- HMPPS’ new Prison Employment Leads and ID and Banking Administrators work with prisoners to get them ready for release, including organising relevant training and right to work documentation like bank accounts and ID.
* Data from New Futures Network Employment Guide.
† Figures are from Kantar Public commissioned by the Ministry of Justice. Total sample size 114 businesses that employ ex-offenders. Fieldwork undertaken between 18-24 March 2022. Online self-completion survey.
The long version:
New Futures Network and their partners offer a lifeline of support to prison leavers – helping them to gain the skills, training and work experience they need to realise their potential and connect them with potential employers. They work with industry partners across a number of sectors and last year launched their ‘Unlocking Potential’ campaign of sector specific recruitment drives. Unlocking Construction was a two-week campaign earlier this year within the building industry.
If you run a construction business that needs to fill vacancies, looking to prisons as a valuable talent resource can be a worthwhile option – particularly in a climate of skills and labour shortages within the construction industry.
We caught up with Emma Wagstaff, Senior National Employment Manager at NFN to discuss why small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in construction should consider getting involved.
Why should small builders hire a prison leaver?
Firstly, the size of the company is no barrier to recruiting prison leavers. Emma walked us through how it can work for SMEs:
‘We work with a different range of employers from small through to large businesses and there have been several benefits for SMEs. One benefit is that we’ll help with the recruitment process. For smaller organisations that perhaps don’t have the big HR structures in place – we’re able to work with the employer to get a job description and specific skills that might be required. We can then look at what training is taking place within our establishments for any skills that are needed and identify people we think would be suitable. We can share the details of the individuals and get them ready for interview.’
To cut to the chase, hiring prison leavers can save your business money on recruitment costs as there are no advertising or recruitment agency fees. But it shouldn’t be viewed as simply ‘the cheap option’. There are other very compelling reasons why prison leavers can bring more to your business.
A virtual reality workshop held at HMP Wormwood Scrubs as part of Unlocking Construction.
Taking on prison leavers can improve your rate of staff retention
Prison leavers tend to stay with their employer for longer. Emma explains, ‘These individuals are very appreciative of being able to have this opportunity and that an employer is trying to help them. Employers have said to us previously that it helps with retention because they tend to stay with them and progress into different roles, with the right support.’
The overall suitability of candidates put forward by the scheme also tends to be quite high, which can also help staff retention. Emma puts this down to the tailored matching process and having an extensive team of support behind the recruitment process, including Regional Brokers who work with prisons within their region to support businesses, and Prison Employment Leads who are based in prisons and who work with prisoners prior to release. ‘Employers find they get a lot more history about the person than they would from reading a CV. Because we can speak to someone about the courses they’ve done, the skillset they’ve got and why they would be good within that role, employers have said that they learn more than they potentially would if they would have gone down other recruitment avenues.’
What types of employment are available?
There are a number of routes to employing both people who are still serving in prison and those coming to the end of their sentence:
‘There’s the opportunity for Release on Temporary Licence (RoTL)’ says Emma, ‘where an individual is risk assessed and licenced to work within the community and able to go out to work while they’re still in prison. A relatively new offer includes Prisoner Apprenticeships as well, where we work with employers to identify if there’s an apprenticeship opportunity.”
“We also have Employment Upon Release Opportunities – making sure people have the skills they need ahead of release.”
What training can prisoners access?
New Futures Network work with construction employers to identify what type of skills are in demand, so the training is relevant to both industry and individual needs. “We draw as much information as we possibly can from employers’ says Emma, ‘to make sure we’re providing the skills and training that are needed. If we know where those skill gaps are, and we can do something to try and upskill people whilst they are still with us, we’re making sure we can meet those needs.”
The training is hands on too – equivalent to the training opportunities available in the outside world. This is available both within the prison setting and beyond the gates. ‘We have workshop training in prisons, as well as education opportunities. We train people to gain their CSCS card and we have forklift truck training, for example. We also now have prisoner apprenticeships where we work with employers to identify if there’s an apprenticeship opportunity with their company.’
Busting misconceptions about prison leavers
‘People think that maybe because they’re a prison leaver, they may not be loyal or may not be trustworthy’ says Emma, ‘but they are being given a second chance by an employer and they really do want to prove themselves and prove that they are trustworthy’.
Through the scheme, employers can have the opportunity to go into prisons to meet potential applicants during the recruitment process. Making a human connection can often be eye opening for businesses, says Emma, ‘We’ve found that when people come into prison as an employer, or to just have a conversation, they realise that they’re a diverse group and they are not necessarily low skilled workers.’
‘They tend to come away saying “I’ve had a really good conversation with that person and I’ve learnt a lot about them.”
Employing prison leavers can help to plug the skills shortage
With the industry suffering from a severe skills shortage, it’s time to think outside the traditional routes to entering a career in construction trades. By making building more accessible to marginalised communities including prison leavers, we can broaden the talent pool and unlock potential. Emma explains that the more information they can get from employers about where the skills gaps are, the better they can tailor their training programmes in prisons to meet the needs of the industry.
By getting involved, small builders can have a stake in that conversation alongside the bigger players, so their needs are listed to.
Are attitudes changing towards ex-offenders?
So, are employers beginning to change their mind about employing people with a prison sentence in their recent past? New Futures Network are certain that they can see a change. ‘The work that’s being done in prisons and the training that we’re able to provide… employers are seeing that now’ says Emma. ‘Certainly, with our Unlocking Potential campaign, it enables us to get employers to go in and speak to people, see what skills are being built in prisons and have conversations [with serving prisoners] which we’ve found can lead to an interview.’
What about attitudes within the workplace? Emma offers these thoughts, ‘I think employers could be a bit cautious about how their staff would feel or maybe how their business leaders would feel. But actually, we find that staff are very supportive and that they look to be part of an inclusive workplace.’
Having a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agenda is becoming increasingly helpful to businesses – not only in terms of helping to win more business, but also in helping to attract new talent and retain existing employees. Emma explains, ‘A lot of employers are finding that it not only makes business sense, but it is a good way to to demonstrate social responsibility. Employees can see this as a positive too, thinking “I’m part of an inclusive workplace and my employer wants to provide opportunities for people from different backgrounds.”’
‘There’s lots of support that NFN can provide. If people are unsure, we’re more than happy to have conversations if you have questions or are not sure how people might feel, then we’re happy to talk though how we can support you.’
