Pictured above: Rachel Hanney, of Pertemps People
Development Group, with client Constantine Williams who is gaining
support under the partnership with Staffordshire and West Midlands
Probation Service
Former offenders are securing jobs and turning their lives
around with vital support from a Birmingham employment
initiative.
Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust is working in
partnership with employment experts Pertemps People Development
Group (PPDG) to give ex-offenders a chance to rebuild their lives
and focus on a crime-free future.
Rachel Hanney, PPDG outreach worker, said most clients suffered
from very low confidence and do not believe employers will give
them a chance. She has recently helped five city residents into new
jobs at employers including a city council project and a
bakery.
Their success in securing new jobs is down to their own hard
work and the support they received from PPDG through the Working
Neighbourhoods Fund (WNF) - a £115m employment
initiative.
The WNF is a partnership between Be Birmingham, Jobcentre Plus,
Birmingham City Council, and the LSC, which is being delivered
across Birmingham by Edgbaston-based PPDG. One of the key features
of the project is the strong outreach element which sees
employment-based services taken into the heart of communities.
Jobseekers can visit one of the city's many PPDG centres or,
alternatively, make an appointment for a team member to come out to
them and meet at a convenient venue.
Rachel said: "I have been working with the Staffordshire and
West Midlands Probation Trust at its Saltley branch where I meet
clients once a week. Probation officers and their support staff
book clients in to see me to discuss how we can help them into
employment. Many of the client group have been released from prison
after a fairly long period of time and they then serve the rest of
their sentence on a probation order.
"I have built a really strong rapport with many of them,
particularly those who are most motivated and eager to turn their
lives around with a little help. We help them by preparing CVs,
building confidence, referring them to Learndirect to gain further
qualifications, and advise them on interview techniques. We even
supply them with vouchers for interview clothes."
She added: "One of my clients had not worked for 10 years. She
had zero confidence. I worked really closely with her and she
changed to the point where she got a job at her first ever
interview. I am so glad she is doing well - her life has improved
dramatically.
"I love my role - I find it really satisfying. People make
mistakes but it doesn't mean that they can't do a job and get on
with their lives. We tell them that there is an alternative to
crime and the response has been very positive."
Kashmir Garton, deputy head of Birmingham Probation, said:
"Unemployment is a significant factor in criminal behaviour. If
former offenders can find a job it enables them to make a useful
contribution to society and helps to reduce the risk of further
offending."
Support available for job seekers through WNF includes:
confidence-building and motivation courses, CV preparation and
interview techniques, training and opportunities to gain new
qualifications. Activities are focused across Birmingham and anyone
interested in more finding out further information about how the
WNF can be of assistance is asked to contact the team on 0121 454
7231.
Birmingham based employment specialists Pertemps People
Development Group are one of the UK's leading providers of
Government-funded Welfare to Work initiatives holding a portfolio
of employment related contracts benefiting job seekers across the
West Midlands.