When we reimagine rehabilitation,
we reduce reoffending
Reimagining rehabilitation
For over a decade, we have been directly supporting prison leavers as part of our commitment to our purpose – reimagining places for people to thrive.
Our work is helping to reduce reoffending in the UK: assisting people to rebuild their lives, reducing public spending and helping communities to thrive.
We’re doing this by offering training and skills development to help prepare prisoners for the workforce.
Our Reimagining Talent programme helps prisoners to prepare for the workplace and find a job.
To date we have trained 63 people and 11 of those have secured employment in construction and other sectors. Some of these roles are with our supply chain, where we continue to promote job opportunities for prison leavers, as well as identifying roles within Wates.
Since launching in 2023, the programme has run in six prisons:
- HMP Stocken
- HMP Lindholme
- HMP Feltham
- HMP Warren Hill
- HMP Highpoint
- HMP The Mount.
When we reimagine rehabilitation, we reduce reoffending
See how real lives are changing for the better. Download our brochure to learn more about our work supporting prison leavers, reducing reoffending and building stronger communities.
Preparing for the workplace
At HMP Feltham, for example, four men who were due for release within six months completed a six-week course covering:
- Construction industry insights
- Interview techniques and CV building
- Criminal record disclosure guidance
- Sustaining employment and workplace expectations
We seek the support of our supply chain through regular events that aim to break the stigma of hiring prison leavers, create inclusive employment pathways and foster collaboration.
Job-ready skills learned in prison
Inside HMP Stoke Heath, we have created a mini replica of our factory in Coventry, so that prisoners can learn new skills and boost their chances of securing a job on release.
Prisoners work for a minimum of six weeks, putting together pipes and tubing modules that will be used in our programme of works for the MoJ. The workshop is supervised by trained prison staff and managed by our factory team, with six spaces available on a rolling basis.
When we reimagine rehabilitation, we reduce reoffending and create brighter futures for prison leavers, their families and the communities they live within
It’s much harder to hold down a job when you don’t have a steady home and Ministry of Justice research tells us that homelessness is a major risk factor for reoffending. With that in mind, we’re enhancing our programme with a pilot initiative to help 50 prison leavers with the deposit and first months’ rent, so they are more likely to stay both employed and housed.
With the average annual cost of £51,724* to provide a prison place in England and Wales, every prison leaver who can find sustained employment and stay in the community makes a meaningful contribution to the economy.
“At Wates, people see me
for my work, not my past…”
After graduating, G took two jobs to pay off his university debt, but one bad decision put him behind bars.
“I had literally been working day and night, and I would find time to sleep at the weekends. So I thought to myself, if I just do this one illegal thing for a short amount of time, I can pay my debt off and I can set myself up. I knew it was a risk, and I got sent to prison for it.”
While serving time in prison, G joined our Reimagining Talent programme, which gave him the confidence and tools he needed to secure a role at Wates within eight weeks of his release.
“People see me for my work, not my past. That’s all I ever wanted – a fair chance to prove myself.”
S is grateful for the support of his colleagues and the social value team at Wates who helped him to secure a role he loves.
S started working with Wates while completing his sentence, having spotted the opportunity on a flyer while out on day release. Today, he’s a trusted member of the team, unlocking and locking site gates each day.
He says: “For someone like me who’s been on the other side of a locked door, that trust is transformational.”
He now advocates for other prison leavers. Three years after leaving prison, he told an audience of 150 colleagues and subcontractors how meaningful employment after prison changed his life for the better and why prison leavers make a positive contribution to the workforce. The talk resulted in two more prison leavers being offered roles.
Creating a home from home at HMP Send
Our Leatherhead office is building a long-term relationship with HMP Send, a nearby women’s prison, as part of our social value strategy.
Our first project together is to refurbish a house owned by the prison, just outside the gates, to offer a place for women entering prison or those on temporary release to meet with their families in a comfortable and homely environment. It will also offer a respite space for prison staff members.
Experts from our Wates SmartSpace and SES teams will manage the project, working with volunteers from Volunteer it Yourself.
Esther Dainton, governor at HMP Send, said, “It’s a really good opportunity and I’m really excited about it.”
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Our work with social enterprises
We are proud to work alongside multiple social enterprises that support prison leavers.