Unlocking potential: The benefits of hiring ex-offenders for Welsh businesses
Jack Sargeant – Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership
In today’s uncertain economic climate, Welsh businesses face significant hurdles. Inflation, rising costs, and constrained consumer spending are putting pressure on SMEs.
Employers are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit, retain, and train staff, with skills shortages prevalent across several sectors.
But despite these challenges, there lies an often-overlooked talent pool that can help address these issues. Around a quarter of the UK population has a conviction.
That’s a significant number of people with valuable skills, experience, and knowledge who can make a positive contribution to society – and potentially to your business or organisation as well.
Skills
Individuals who have been released from custody, or who are serving a community order with the support of the Probation Service, often have strong work histories or have gained new skills and qualifications during their time in prison.
The Welsh Government’s Better Learning, Better Chances policy sets out to deliver learning and skills in prison with a focus on employability.
Additionally, the Welsh Government provides additional employability support helping individuals become job ready and gain and retain sustainable employment on release.
His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), and services like Working Wales, along with the Department for Work and Pensions, can help businesses benefit from free and easy access to talent to help fill the gaps they’re experiencing.
Training
Employers can work with HMPPS to identify a suitable pool of candidates with the skills they need, and if the required skills are not readily available, training can be organised at no cost to the employer.
For example, prisons across Wales currently offer training in sectors experiencing skills shortages, including construction, hospitality, digital technologies, manufacturing, warehousing, and green and net-zero courses.
Hiring an ex-offender does more than just help to address workforce shortages, with employers often finding that people who have been released from prison are highly motivated, reliable, and loyal employees.
Research has found that 86% of employers rate ex-offenders as good at their jobs, with companies such as Greggs, Timpson, and Virgin Media all reporting high retention rates among ex-offenders.
Challenges
The current economic challenges facing Welsh businesses, particularly SMEs, require innovative solutions. Hiring ex-offenders presents a unique opportunity to address skills shortages and enhance diversity.
By tapping into this often-overlooked talent pool, businesses can not only meet their workforce needs but also contribute to a more inclusive and resilient economy.
As the Welsh Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership, I urge businesses to consider the benefits of inclusive hiring practices.
By offering ex-offenders an opportunity to secure employment, we can unlock their potential and create a brighter future for both our businesses and our communities.
Contact Business Wales for advice and resources on accessing training and funding opportunities.
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Even better – how about employing people who’ve never committed a criminal offence? Who’ve never stolen from anyone? Or carried out fraud? Or who’ve never violently or sexually assaulted someone? And im sure the vast majority of the public would be rightly horrified if they discovered that the person serving them – or their children – was a convicted sex offender. Talk about detached from reality. Once again this is another depressing example of a member of the welsh political class living in another world from the rest of us. No wonder farage’s awful populists are leading in a lot… Read more »
Are you happy to pay for a quarter of the population to live on benefits because you’ve decided they shouldn’t be employed?
Surely in the real world Not every offender is a bad person. If they’ve served their sentence and shown remorse why shouldn’t they be given a chance?
Employers NI should be zero rated for employers hiring ex-offenders. It’s far cheaper to keep people on the straight and narrow than pay the £40k per year if they go back inside.