- prisoners to have access to apprenticeships for the first time to help cut crime
- scheme to provide job-based training in key industries and boost local employers
- game-changing move to get more ex-offenders into jobs and cut £18 billion cost of reoffending
- launch comes in National Apprenticeship Week celebrating the positive impact apprenticeships bring to employers, individuals, and the economy.
Polling published last year found that nine out of ten businesses that hire ex-offenders say they are reliable, good at their job, punctual and trustworthy.
Currently prisoners are unable to take advantage of apprenticeships, which would give them access to gold-standard training they can gain the skills needed to secure work on release – with evidence showing that prison leavers in work are significantly less likely to re-offend.
The government will change the law so that prisoners at open prisons across England are able to apply for apprenticeship opportunities in vital industries, including hospitality and construction , providing direct routes into…
