Recently, Kier became one of the first UK employers to provide serving prisoners with the opportunity to get an apprenticeship, following a major change in the law. Helen Redfern discusses the importance of providing prisoners with a second chance.
We all make mistakes, it’s part of being human. Some mistakes, are unfortunately, bigger than others and can shape your life. However, another part of being human is reform and being able to acknowledge your mistakes and learn from them.
I’m fortunate in the way that some of the mistakes I’ve made have been able to influence some of my greatest learnings and lessons. However, I can appreciate that not everyone is that fortunate. That’s why at Kier, we want to be an organisation that offers hope, training and support to people who are focused on rehabilitation and turning their life around.
Making Ground
The government’s Prisons Strategy White Paper sets out its clear focus on rehabilitation, and earlier this year we completed the construction of HMP Five Wells, which has been carefully designed to support the rehabilitation of prisoners. Evidence continues to suggest that providing support, training and job opportunities are all factors in helping people to turn their lives around.
Through Making Ground, our prison engagement and employment programme, designed to support serving and ex-prisoners into sustainable employment within the industry, we know this approach works. It goes without saying that everyone we take on through Making Ground goes through a number of rigorous assessments.
Through this programme, we have become one of the first UK companies to offer apprenticeship opportunities to serving prisoners after a vital law change enabled us to do this. I’m also incredibly proud to say that we have been able to support the very first construction industry apprentice through this programme.
Accepting all walks of life
He now works in our Highways business and already we have had great feedback from him and his team. He has spoken about how he feels fortunate to have been given this opportunity and a second chance.
To have a truly diverse workforce, we must work with and accept people from all backgrounds and walks of life.
Providing opportunities can make all the difference to a person, and if we can provide jobs and apprenticeships and help reduce reoffending rates, why would we not?
It also brings benefits to us as an organisation. It encourages diversity of thought and brings valuable differences in how we work and how we can create a more forward-thinking organisation that is reflective and inclusive of the communities we serve.
Our people in Kier have been accepting to our aims, and this speaks volumes. Where we have hired people through this scheme, we have seen our colleagues welcome any of our release on temporary license (ROTL) colleagues as warmly as they would with any other colleague.
The most important thing for our teams is that people who join Kier are loyal, hardworking, and willing to learn. The majority of serving, or ex-offenders, that we work with have all of these qualities, they come into work early, or on time and they work hard. They are willing and extremely enthusiastic to learn so when they leave prison, they already have skills that will support them to start a new career or reintroduce themselves back into the workplace.
We all mistakes, but given opportunities to change, learn and develop, it can make all the difference, and lead to positive outcomes for an individual, and society at large.
Helen Redfern is chief people officer at Kier
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apprentices maybe.. but his is nothing NEW.. We were offering construction employment, with construction training, experience and knowledge back in 2014 in Ford open prison. Kiers should NOT claim to be “one of the first”, when they could have back the idea back then, when we asked.. Hyde Housing were there to assist… In fact they could have made the project work of they had helped.. but then we did’t have such a shortage of construction workers in those days, so this is again only to help their business model really.. Just saying !!!! PS.. Ask then when they did the drainage work at Ford, when they first came across us !!!
During my time with Bovis Lend Lease back in 2004 we had about six people on early release with Tags fitted on one site alone. This was all done under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. Mind you all were from the Trade Contractors and not the Principal Contractor.