Project review: The Mount

Sarah Townsend, Regeneration & Renewal, 26 July 2010

The Mount: Prisoners learn construction skills to help them get paid work on release

In a warehouse in HMP The Mount, close to Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, around 30 prisoners are busy with bricks, cement and timber. The fruits of their labour are impressive - a number of walls, a small roof and even a well - much of it thanks to their instructor Andy, who is teaching them the skills necessary for paid work in the construction industry.

The course is run by John Laing Training, part of construction firm John Laing. The company has provided construction training to offenders since 2004 to help them secure paid jobs at the end of their sentences and make it less likely that they will reoffend.

The training consists of courses in bricklaying, carpentry, electrical skills, plastering, plumbing, and painting and decorating. Participants can gain level 1 and level 2 qualifications offered by awarding body City & Guilds and training provider Construction Skills. The courses are regulated by Ofsted.

Last December, the company expanded the training on offer at The Mount to include pre-employment support such as a social development course and advice on job interviews. The project, which costs around £240,000 a year, also seeks to match offenders with potential job, work placement or apprenticeship opportunities.

Regeneration & Renewal visited the project with Neena Samota, senior policy development manager at crime reduction charity Nacro, and then asked for her views.

What were the project's main strengths?

It made the connection between the importance of giving prisoners something productive to do with their day, rather than sitting in their cells, and giving them skills that will help them find employment once they are released. Construction is an occupation particularly well suited to offenders: there are high levels of illiteracy and innumeracy within the national prison population and, while this prevents ex-offenders from getting certain types of employment, it is not a barrier to getting a hands-on, practical job. I was also impressed by the trainers. One of the key things I have learned through my work is that issues of trust and confidence are incredibly important to offenders, and they seemed to be building a good relationship with their instructors.

Was the scheme well placed to support the transition from prison into the community?

It aimed to support offenders into long-term employment by providing them with other types of personal support intended to help them develop better social and behavioural skills, as well as stronger networks with family and friends. This is crucial because aggression and a negative attitude is common among offenders and can mean they have a job one day and lose it the next. But offenders also need other types of support when they are released, such as help finding housing. We were told about the different agencies that John Laing Training is working with, for example the St Giles Trust, which runs mentoring programmes for ex-offenders in order to help them adjust to life outside prison. However, I think they could bring a more diverse range of potential partners on board, for example councils, local businesses and mental health support services.

How could the initiative be improved?

Overall, I thought it was great. We need more initiatives like this in prisons. But while most of the offenders I spoke to seemed happy about the project, there was one guy who had rather negative views of it, and I suspect this was largely due to a lack of communication on the part of John Laing Training. For example, he thought that one strand of the training was going to be cancelled due to funding constraints - which we were told wasn't true - and was sceptical about the likelihood of him finding employment as a result of the training. He also said he was disappointed that such a large company couldn't guarantee him a job when he is released. So John Laing Training needs to develop a better way of communicating the project's aims and objectives to participants, managing their expectations by explaining the complexities of finding a job in the current economic climate, and telling them exactly what opportunities the company might be able to offer. Prison is a rumour mill: one bad experience can be relayed in a million different, inaccurate ways, which can damage morale.

Is the scheme likely to benefit participants' local communities when they are freed?

Absolutely. It gives prisoners a chance to develop the social skills required to create strong networks with others and gain qualifications that will help them secure paid work when they are released. This will help create the kind of stability and social capital that many communities require, and will have a positive knock-on effect on any regeneration initiatives that may be taking place in their neighbourhood.