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Could You be Missing Out on the Skills of Ex-Offenders?
 Many
small businesses struggle to find skilled
and enthusiastic workers; but are you
missing out on the abilities of
ex-offenders?
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) survey
“Employing
ex-offenders to capture talent”
shows that employers are most concerned
about ex-offenders having soft workplace
skills like honesty, reliability and good
personal behavioural skills, not just basic
numerical, literacy and technical job
skills. But employer concerns could be
addressed as four-fifths of employers with a
positive experience say that ex-offenders
settle into work well with colleagues,
perform well and are reliable.
Despite the bad image that being an ex-offender may give, less than
half of those offenders are likely to have
been in prison; half only have one
conviction, and employment is proven to be
the best method of preventing re-offending.
This means there are plenty of people who
whilst having been offenders, are now ready
to work hard and avoid further trouble.
Dianah Worman OBE, CIPD Diversity Adviser
says: “Ex-offenders are a largely unused
pool of talent which employers could access
as a way of helping to reduce skills
shortages. Getting involved in the
rehabilitation of ex-offenders through
corporate social responsibility initiatives
will help to create economically successful
communities in which individuals and
businesses can benefit.
”While improving the employability of
ex-offenders through training is accepted as
key to the rehabilitation of offenders, the
Government need to ensure training meets the
needs of employers, improve the
communication about support available for
employers and work with the media to change
stereotypes about ex-offenders.
”Training provision in prisons is patchy and
offenders are frequently moved between them.
This seriously reduces rehabilitation
prospects for offenders. For training to be
successful in leading to jobs, its
availability needs to be consistent across
all prisons so that offenders can continue
learning regardless of their location.
”The survey finds employers are more likely
to offer jobs to ex-offenders who have gone
straight for at least two years while
relatively few offer jobs to ex-offenders
either directly from prison or offenders
under Probation Service supervision.
Nevertheless one in ten say that they would
consider offering jobs to offenders under
license or supervision and a further
three-fifths of organisations say they that
this is something they would consider if
they had more information and support.
”This underlines the need for a national
communication strategy to influence and
inform employers’ perceptions about the
potential benefits of employing
ex-offenders. The Government needs to take a
lead on this, as getting a job is the single
most important factor in reducing
re-offending.”
While few organisations (8%) with experience of employing
ex-offenders choose to promote this through
the media around two-thirds (65%) of those
organisations that had promoted employing
ex-offenders say it had delivered a positive
impact on their corporate reputation.
The CIPD have also produced a practical
guide on employing ex-offenders; providing
useful information and tips, as well as
advice on whether candidates are legally
required to disclose past offences to you.
The guide can be found here.
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