Ex-offenders re-trained to meet skills shortage
Sixty ex-offenders in the north of England have been selected to train on a full NVQ course to enable them to gain jobs with contractors in the utility sector. The course offers the participants a taste of the types of work our sectors could offer, may assist the individuals with achieving future rewarding employment opportunities, and reduce the risk of potential re-offending.
Sector Skills Council Energy & Utility Skills (EU Skills), together with a selection of training providers, has worked with the Probation Service in Yorkshire and Humberside to identify potential trainees. The move is part of the probation service’s remit to train ex-offenders in the community. EU Skills has a target of training a total of 168 ex-offenders this year in a variety of generic courses. So far, 92 have been selected and of those, 60 are willing and able to complete a full NVQ. Six courses have started since April this year, following on from the winter term’s courses.
The government has a target of reducing re-offending by 5 per cent by 2008 and 10 per cent by 2010. EU Skills hope that by engaging these ex-offenders in training programmes, they will be better equipped to apply for jobs with contractors next year.
The principles behind the project are to give the participants a series of “taster” courses that are generic enough to be applicable to different industries within the sector – gas, electricity, water, and waste management – to make the participants attractive to recruiters.
For example, there are courses in manual handling, the SHEA Gas passport, and emergency first aid.
The Yorkshire and Humberside region has been identified by sector employers and EU Skills as an area of particular shortage in the kinds of skills used by network operatives. These taster courses offer a chance to train in some of these skills. Although no jobs can be guaranteed at the end of training, the kind of malleable training the ex-offenders receive gives them a real chance when it comes to recruitment.
EU Skills has the chance to vet ex-offenders before and during application for the courses. All efforts are made to keep attendance up, and EU Skills is exploring the option of “buddying” or mentoring for the participants to keep motivation high.
Training is taking place at a large of number of education institutes across the region, including, Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Grimsby, and Hull. It is funded by the Learning and Skills Council for one year.
Gary Fisher, Senior Consultant, Develop Training Ltd comments: “Ex-offender training plays a vital role in developing local people to meet the needs of the utility sectors and help address the skills shortage in the Yorkshire and Humberside region. Develop Training Ltd is pleased to be working with Energy & Utility Skills to provide this kind of training within the community.”
Dave Roberts, Centre Manager, UTN Training adds: “We are very pleased to be providing training to ex-offenders that will benefit both them and the utility industry, which is suffering from a skills shortage.”
Veronica Stephenson,Skills Director - North East, Yorkshire & Humberside, Energy & Utility Skills says: “We are pleased to see ex-offenders given the opportunity to train in the community, and help meet government targets on reducing re-offending. Energy & Utility Skills has matched the training to the demand in the region, and we hope employers will see the benefits of recruiting our trainees.”
