Acorn, part of the French-owned Synergie group, has launched a scheme in partnership with three Welsh prisons and HMP Bristol to help inmates nearing the end of their sentences find jobs in construction.
The Reconstruct Network supports prisoners in the last 12 weeks of their sentence, who have shown willingness and an interest in securing a construction role, to equip themselves with the motivation and practical skills they need to re-enter the world of work.
According to Lawrence Beach, client development director with Acorn Recruitment, the scheme already has the backing of several leading contractors including Bouygues UK, Willmott Dixon, ISG and Bam as well as support from The Wallich, a homeless charity.
“We’ve been working to place people with convictions into employment here at Acorn by Synergie for a number of years now, with outcomes for both clients and candidates proving increasingly successful as a result. The individuals we’ve been working with have an incredible amount of potential and, in many cases, existing skills that come as a real asset to the businesses they end up working with once their sentences come to an end.
“We hope now that by creating an ever wider collective of like-minded organisations across Wales and the southwest, we can give confidence to even more people that there is a chance for them to succeed and put something back into their communities following their time in prison, through the launch of the Reconstruct programme.”
Acorn will make monthly visits to HMP Swansea, HMP Cardiff, HMP Prescoed and HMP Bristol to carry out face-to-face sessions with inmates to assess their skills and motivations and find the geographical areas best suited to individuals ahead of their release.
There is no cost for businesses looking to join the scheme, nor are they obliged to employ anyone via Acorn.
Harriet Wade, social value manager at ISG, said: “For a long time now we have championed the benefits of employing people with convictions and the huge potential they can offer. The network is a fantastic way of linking open minded organisations with these individuals that is time and cost effective.”
Willmott Dixon’s senior social value manager, Nicola Millard, added: “At Willmott Dixon, we have always maintained that the best way to improve a person’s life chances is by enabling them to access good quality work. We support the Reconstruct network because it is helping to promote the many capable individuals being released each month that need an organisation to give them a second chance.”
The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) is now being delivered within prisons to train inmates ready for their release. Several contractors are already working with prisons around the country to prepare inmates for jobs in construction following their release. Willmott Dixon recently opened its fourth prison drylining academy at HMP Lincoln, having established similar academies at HMP Belmarsh, HMP Elmley in Kent and HMP Cardiff.
Beach said: “We appreciate that successful recruitment, particularly in the construction sector, often relies on the timescales and location involved, and really feel that by pulling together we can help give both sides a better chance at securing gainful employment in the process.
“Acorn by Synergie also carries out the front-end work on behalf of businesses involved, having already made it our responsibility to visit the prisons included in the Reconstruct programme and working with teams to get them work ready in the first place.”
“The only commitment a company has is to be open-minded regarding candidates who might have the necessary skills in place, or be looking for work in the geographical area involved, when it comes to any vacancies they might have available,” added Beach.
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