A new law, which came into effect this week, allows prisoners to be taken on as apprentices and Kier has been quick to take advantage.
The reform, drawn up by the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Education, is designed to help reduce reoffending by increasing work and life opportunities for offenders on their release.
Kier has taken on its first ROTL (release on temporary licence) apprentice into its highways division. They said: “This opportunity means a lot to me and I was over the moon when I found out I had been successful. It gives me the chance to prove to myself, my friends, family and the wider community that I am worthy and capable of being successful. I am appreciative to Kier and the team I have worked with during this process, it has been made clear to me that my convictions aren’t a barrier to my success or progression.
“I look forward to gaining as much experience as I can during my apprenticeship and in the future I would like to stay with Kier, work my way up and hopefully gain further qualifications.”
Kier chief people officer Helen Redfern said: “At Kier, we’re committed to having a more diverse workforce, with colleagues who have skills from a range of backgrounds; reflecting the wider community. This pioneering scheme allows us to diversify our workforce further, whilst benefitting prisoners who are nearing the end of their sentence, as well as reducing the likelihood of reoffending, benefitting communities across the country.
“Being one of the first employers to take part in the scheme builds on the work we have already done through Making Ground, our prison engagement and employment programme, which is designed to support serving prisoners and prison leavers into sustainable employment in the construction industry.”
Kier is working with Inside Connections, a community interest company, to provide support and mentoring to the apprentices. John Burton, founder of Inside Connections said: “The change in the law opens up apprenticeship opportunities to prisoners, enabling them to gain important skills and employment, which can play a significant part in reducing reoffending. From our experience we know that employers hiring prison leavers find them to be good at their job, punctual and trustworthy and we would encourage more employers to get involved.”
Other employers taking part in the scheme are the Greene King brewery and Timpsons repair stores. From 2025, the scheme is expected to be rolled out more widely, offering up to 300 prisoners nearing the end of their sentence a chance to get a head start.
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