More than 90 business experts have been enlisted as prison employment advisors to help drive thousands of prison leavers into work and away from reoffending.

Employers from firms including the Co-op, Greggs, Iceland and Oliver Bonas have been appointed as Employment Advisory Board chairs in 92 prisons, which help prepare prisoners nearing the end of their sentence for release into the community. The boards link prisons to leading business figures who can offer their expertise on the skills, qualifications and training needed to help prisoners re-enter the workforce. Using these insights, prisons can tailor their training and workshops to match local labour market demands so ex-offenders are job-ready when they finish their sentence.

The initiative was launched in March 2022 and will play a crucial role in boosting the UK economy while tackling the £18bn annual cost of reoffending, with ex-prisoners in steady employment being nine percentage points less likely to reoffend.

Many organisations employ people with convictions – people with criminal records can still work in a wide range of careers, from construction, restaurants and hotels, to solicitors, accounts and the NHS. Getting more prison leavers into work helps to protect the public, and the number in employment six months after release increased by almost two thirds between April 2021 and March 2022, from 14% to 23%.

Deputy Prime Minister, Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, Dominic Raab MP, said:

“Our innovative scheme is helping to get ex-offenders into work, keeping them on the straight and narrow while providing businesses with the staff they need to grow. We are already seeing the rewards with more prison leavers in work six months after release – helping them turn their backs on crime, contribute to society and saving the taxpayer money.”

Research from the Ministry of Justice shows that 90% of businesses that employ ex-offenders agreed that they are good attenders, motivated and trustworthy. Harnessing the talent from those leaving the prison is already supporting employers to fill vacancies bringing benefits to businesses and the UK economy.

Richard Walker, Executive Chairman, Iceland Foods, said:

“The rehabilitation of offenders back into the workforce can offer huge benefits to UK businesses and give those individuals seeking employment a much-needed lifeline. At Iceland we feel it’s the right thing to do, and although we’re at the beginning of this rehabilitation journey we are already seeing how it can offer real societal and business impact. Employment Advisory Boards allow business leaders, including Iceland’s own Director of Rehabilitation Paul Cowley, an inside track to support ex-offenders, equipping them with much-needed skills that employers like us will value both now and in the future.”

Olly Tress, Founder and CEO of Oliver Bonas and EAB Chair at HMP Belmarsh, said:

“Employment Advisory Boards are helping prisoners to be job-ready for opportunities in the outside world, whether it be in IT support, catering or hospitality. It’s a true win-win situation by plugging gaps in the skills shortages across various sectors, while providing a more stable future for the individual so they can stay crime-free.”

Beckie Rowland, Greggs Fresh Start Manager and EAB Chair at HMP Foston Hall, said:

“At Greggs, we pride ourselves on our culture, creating an environment which is inclusive of everyone. Being an inclusive business also means making it easier for people who might face challenges with getting a job. Through our Fresh Start programme, we proactively offer training and work experience to people who are transitioning into work, including care leavers, people who have been unemployed for a long time, or who are leaving the armed services or prison. We provide employability workshops, mentoring, mock interviews, interviews, placements and, most importantly, sustainable job opportunities to candidates that we would not ordinarily meet. Working with the Employment Advisory Boards is a great way for us to not only reduce the impact of re-offending within our communities, but also an avenue to find great employees to join Greggs.”

Dedicated job experts have been recruited in every resettlement prison in England and Wales and will walk prisoners through job applications and give them interview training, so they are ready to find jobs in booming sectors such as construction, haulage, and logistics.

One-stop hubs where prisoners can access career advice and support with tasks such as CV writing have also been established in 91 of 92 resettlement prisons.

Dan Whyte, former prisoner, founder and Co-Director of DWRM Consultants, said:

“When I received my life sentence, I had no qualifications at all, but I was determined to use my time inside productively by studying and focusing on the career I wanted when I walked through the prison gates. Having a job gave me the direction I needed to stay on the straight-and-narrow after my release and now run a successful business helping prisoners get access to university training and education.”

The launch of Employment Advisory Boards and Prison Employment Leads forms a central part of the Prisons White Paper, published in December 2021. This includes a major focus on upskilling offenders so they can turn their back on crime for good.