We’re committed to giving people a second chance. That’s why we’re hiring prison leavers and people with criminal records as part of our Project Compass programme, developing their skills and supporting those who would otherwise be marginalised from the formal economy.
Offending and reoffending is driven by economic drivers: within 12 months of leaving prison, 58% go on to reoffend costing the UK economy £18bn per year. We want to support the efforts of civil society organisations, community leaders and the policing community to help break the cycle of reoffending by employing prison leavers and those with criminal records.
The Compass Programme is a short-term internship for prison leavers or those who have criminal records. We aim to help people build up their confidence and develop valuable skills through real work experience so they can reach their full potential. We chose the name ‘Compass’ because it signifies a new direction in life for each intern, a journey that we’re privileged to support them on.
Omar’s story
Paige’s story
Carl’s story
Drew’s story
Akeem’s story
Mohamed’s story
Opheniel’s story
Grace's story
Eileen Lewis, Head of Socially Responsible Resourcing
Tumi Pirisola, Solutions and Propositions Consultant, Public Service
Jo Christie-Smith, Senior Programme Manager (line manager of intern)
What do the internships involve?
The internships last for 12 weeks. Each intern is allocated to a business area to learn valuable working practices such as using computer applications such as Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Word etc. We make sure they have access to learning and development courses, our employee network groups and internal job vacancies, as well as to our dedicated team who are focused on ensuring each intern has the best experience possible.
Why do we feel this project is so important?
We believe working with prison leavers is the right thing to do because nurturing a diverse and inclusive workforce is important to us. Despite offering unique approaches to problem solving and teaching us to think outside of the box, those with criminal records are often barred from the workplace owing to a historic mistake which carries far-reaching consequences, stigma and judgment. We’re trying to address that in our own way.
What’s next?
We’re working with Project ReMake to hire prison leavers and those with criminal records. After two years of success in hiring prison leavers, in 2023, we aim to expand Project Compass and are starting to work directly with prisons with the support of the New Futures Network.