HMP Leeds (Image: Wikimedia Commons/Richard Thomson)
A new construction academy that aims to allow prisoners to unlock the skills for a career in the sector on release has opened inside HMP Leeds.
The move came as a recent YouGov poll revealed that 81% of firms that have employed an ex-offender claimed it had helped their business. It is also in response to estimates by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) that an extra 157,000 new recruits will be needed in the industry by 2021.
Launched on 21 of May 2019, the academy will support up to 168 prisoners across 12 months. Once enrolled at the academy, prisoners will work towards level one qualifications including bricklaying, carpentry and joinery, wall and floor tiling, carpentry and joinery.
The Ministry of Justice claimed that the new education facility will help to cut the £15bn annual cost of reoffending as ex-offenders in employment are less likely to commit further crime. Two thirds of prisoners are unemployed at the time they enter custody.
Meanwhile, a change to the rules that will allow prison governors greater autonomy to grant Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) to offenders, following a rigorous risk assessment, has also been announced today. This will allow prisoners more opportunities to work and train with employers while serving their sentence and increase their chances of securing an immediate job on release.
Businesses considering offender employment will be supported by New Futures Network (NFN) – a specialist part of the prison service that brokers partnerships between prisons and employers.
Justice secretary David Gauke said: “Broadening access to training and work opportunities is a vital part of our strategy to steer offenders away from a life of crime and ultimately keep the public safe.
“I urge more businesses to join this movement and help ex-offenders turn their backs on crime for good.”
Steve Mellor, operations director for Kier Housing Maintenance North said: “We’re pleased that HMP Leeds has launched a new construction academy, this is a great initiative to help towards the rehabilitation of inmates.
“We fully support this and are currently in discussions with HMP Leeds on things like running workshops, offering mentoring, donating surplus materials and, where appropriate, working with our client to offer work experience to prisoners released on temporary license”.
The training will be delivered by London based charity Bounce Back, who already run construction training in five London prisons. The project is funded via the HM Prison & Probation Service Co-financing Organisation (HMPPS CFO). HMPPS CFO is a £195m European Social Fund resettlement programme which delivers projects aimed at improving employability which are seen as key to changing offender’s lives and reducing reoffending.
