Sir Robert Buckland MP is supporting a campaign by Sodexo to encourage businesses to employ more people with criminal convictions and non-custodial sentences, as new research shows that recruitment challenges are increasingly encouraging employers to consider this potential workforce.
The campaign is designed to help remove the perceived barriers associated with the employment of people with criminal convictions.
Businesses can access the Starting Fresh online hub, where they can find advice about how to access the underutilised workforce of people with criminal convictions and support those people in the workplace.
Sodexo is also using this campaign to let employers know they are welcome to visit prisons run by the company on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and Scottish Prison Service if they are interested in offering opportunities on release. Organisations with multiple job opportunities can even run employer days in the prisons. If you are not located near a Sodexo-run prison, the business will still be able to support you in connecting with your local prison or one of their partners.
Commenting, Sir Robert said:
“Getting people with criminal convictions into work is vital to ensuring that they successfully reintegrate into their local communities. But too often misconceptions stop businesses from tapping into this underutilised potential workforce.
“It’s fantastic that this resource is being made available to support businesses across South Swindon to find out more about these potential workers, who they may not have considered hiring before. I hope that many businesses will consider bringing more people with criminal convictions onto their team.”
Commenting on the campaign, Tony Simpson, Justice Operations Director at Sodexo said:
“Concerns around hiring people with criminal convictions can often be attributed to not understanding the quality of learning which takes place in prison. Starting Fresh, is not just about helping employers understand the contribution people with criminal convictions can make to their business, but to also encourage them to proactively engage with our prisons and our partners to start the hiring process.
“Sodexo itself has committed to filling 5% of its own appropriate job opportunities with people with criminal convictions, and is a Ban the Box employer, meaning we don’t ask about criminal convictions at the application stage.
Interested in finding out more? Visit Starting Fresh now Starting Fresh (sodexo.com)
