Ex-offenders can be good for your business

HMP Thameside jobs fair

Finding the right employees for your business can be challenging – and if you've never considered employing an ex-offender, you could be missing out on a significant pool of talent that might help your business thrive.

At Her Majesty’s Prison Thameside, resettlement fairs can be a great way to connect prisoners with potential employers. As attendees of one recent fair explain below, employing an ex-offender can have huge benefits for both the person looking for work and for businesses.

"These are normal people that have amazing skills, they just want someone to take a chance on them. When you do that you’re going to see that it was a chance worth taking."
Toni - Resettlement Officer
Prison/Resettlement Officer Toni speaking at the HMP Thameside recruitment fair

Toni is a Resettlement Officer at HMP Thameside and her role involves helping prisoners get into employment after leaving prison. She works with employers, inviting them to the prison to conduct interviews and employability workshops, and organises Resettlement Fairs. Prisoners also receive help writing CVs and cover letters disclosing their unspent convictions.

"It's so important for us to bring employers into the prison to create opportunities, before release."

Toni - Resettlement Officer

Toni says there's a noticeable difference between offenders who have work opportunities set up for their release and those who don't. When nothing is set up before getting out, the uncertainty can stop prisoners from planning ahead. With work in place, prisoners feel more confident that they’re not going to re-offend.

Having companies attend a job fair inside the prison is a real boost to the prisoners as it shows them that employers are willing to give them a chance.

"Be inclusive - having a wide range of skills in a business is important." 
Duane - Be Onsite

Duane works for Be Onsite, a not-for-profit company that provides training and job opportunities in the property sector. Having been released from prison himself seven years ago, Duane knows how appreciative ex-offenders are of a second chance and was at the job fair encouraging prisoners to pursue a career in construction.

He has been inspired to help ex-offenders find work and believes more employers would benefit by being inclusive and hiring hard-working former inmates.

"I find that ex-offenders really value their job - they appreciate that someone has taken time to come into the prison, listen to their story and to employ them," says Duane.

"Statistics on retention are good, they do stay in the job."

"Everybody deserves another chance"
Lynn - Prison Work Coach

As a prison-based DWP work coach, Lynn knows how important employment is in breaking the cycle of re-offending. She believes that "employers at the moment are missing out by not employing ex-offenders," and that employers who show their confidence in and recruit ex-offenders will be rewarded with a talented and diverse workforce.

"It's important to look at a wider pool of talent because there is a lot of talent that's being missed."

Lynn believes that having employees with diverse experience can be a great positive, as "they can bring different skills to the workplace, and upskill the people already working there."

"Ex-offenders have a wealth of experience and skills they can bring to the work place, the same as anyone else".
Kath - Clean Sheet

Kath works for Clean Sheet, a company that is passionate about finding ex-offenders work through their employer directory. She told us that there are a number of opportunities for ex-offenders, including in construction, retail and hospitality.

Prison job fairs are important as they show offenders there are lots of opportunities for work out there and that employers aren't going to hold their record against them. As Kath says, "ex-offenders have so much to offer and the fact that they are seeking employment means they are serious about moving forward with their lives."

Recruiting ex-offenders can be beneficial to everyone involved: people with criminal convictions are given the opportunity to move forward with their lives, and businesses are able to tap into a diverse talent pool and help stop the cycle of re-offending.

If you're an employer looking to recruit ex-offenders or you want to find out more about how you might get started, take a look at our See Potential website for more information.