Context
The three main priorities for the Government to reduce re-offending are:
- Engaging employers through the Reducing Re-offending Corporate Alliance
Employment can make a difference in reducing the level of re-offending. A great deal is being done to improve the employability of offenders and the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) are building on this by establishing direct links with employers aimed at increasing the numbers of offenders going into employment.
NOMS are working with specific sectors to understand the skill and recruitment needs of employers and address any concerns they may have about employing offenders. Taking a sector approach also enables links to be developed with small and medium size enterprises as well as large employers.
Building on OLASS and developing a Campus Model to include a package of rights and responsibilities to motivate and engage offenders. As from July 2006, the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) was rolled out across all nine English regions. OLASS is underpinned by better assessment and planning; a broader, richer curriculum offer; availability of accurate and up-to-date data; mainstreamed delivery of offender learning; alliances forming at regional level; progressive development of the offender learning and correctional services workforces; and strengthened and refocused external inspection arrangements.
In the Green Paper, Reducing Re-Offending Through Skills and Employment, there was strong support for the proposal to develop a Campus Model. The Next Steps document sets out our intention to push this forward by establishing two test bed regions who will ensure a practical way forward for Next Steps, prior to national implementation. The test beds will operate for two years, working to design and develop a national model. After the test beds have been evaluated, the model will be considered for wider adoption beyond July 2009 when the OLASS contracts expire.
Reinforcing the emphasis on skills and jobs in prison and probation
In the Green Paper the Government set out its strategy to increase the quality and effectiveness of learning and skills delivered to offenders, to improve their skills in prison and when released. The
Next Steps
sets out how we will work with the test beds to move forward with this aim and to look at how we can develop and implement the following proposals building on the work already being done in prisons and probation:
Work with our international partners and draw upon the developments in Sweden and Norway (and elsewhere) to improve the delivery of skills and employment through the use of ICT; Focus more on self-employment, and investigate how we can help offenders to develop their skills in preparation for them to start their own business; Build upon the data collated by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to establish a baseline from which we can measure the impact of the Green Paper proposals; Develop an employability contract to focus more intensive support to those who commit to skills programmes designed to tackle their barriers to employment and end their offending behaviour; Work with Regional Offender Managers (ROMs) to develop and commission regimes in custody that meet the skills and employability needs of the offender population.
