Profile: Inside/outside
Fellow Heather Wilkinson explains how her new social enterprise is helping young ex-offenders to make a fresh start in life
In 2008, the reoffending rate for prisoners serving custodial sentences of 12 months or fewer was 61.1 percent. Efforts to reduce this figure depend in part on getting more ex-offenders into jobs, but with employers rejecting applicants with a criminal record for at least one in two vacancies - rising to nine in 10 for those with more serious convictions such as sex offences - there are still huge barriers to change.
Heather Wilkinson's new social enterprise, Breakout Media, aims to give ex-offenders a better chance of employment by equipping them with digital marketing skills. She was recently awarded £1,800 from the RSA Catalyst fund, which she will use to purchase technical equipment for the project.
What is the vision behind your social enterprise, Breakout Media?
Today's employment market is highly competitive and people with a criminal record find it especially hard to secure jobs. Our aim is to enable ex-offenders to compete on an equal footing by training them in digital marketing and providing them with work experience. This will encourage potential employers to recognise and value their skills instead of judging them on the basis of their background. We currently benefit from local, regional and national funding, but we plan to establish a digital marketing agency that will generate commercial income. This will support our new training academy, Breakout Media Academy, and provide employment opportunities for new trainees.
What stage have you reached in making this vision a reality?
We've already established Breakout Media Academy as a Community Interest Company and are running our first pilot project for ex-offenders living in Hammersmith and Fulham. We worked with Job Centre Plus, the London Probation Service and various local organisations to select our first five apprentices, who began their training programme in August, with costs covered by the Future Jobs Fund. All five apprentices were unemployed, so the training aims to give them the best possible chance of improving their skills and securing employment in the future.
Why did you choose to focus on digital marketing?
The majority of businesses now require digital marketing expertise, so our training programme opens up a wide range of career opportunities, as well as preparing the apprentices for the possibility of starting their own online business. The most common obstacle that ex-offenders face is a lack of confidence in their own ability to succeed, so starting a business is a great way for them to 'rebrand' themselves, giving them the courage to look forward instead of backward.
What kind of skills do ex-offenders need to succeed in the real world?
Professional communication, leadership, teamwork and project management are vital in giving young ex-offenders the edge over the competition during the recruitment process. These are all elements of our academy training programme, which we will adapt to the particular needs of each apprentice.
How will you help ex-offenders make a smooth transition into society?
The training programme includes a 'life coaching' component that gives ex-offenders an opportunity to discuss issues in their personal life that may be affecting their ability to work. Many of them have an unstable home life or struggle to readjust to the outside world after being in prison, so they need help in developing the resilience necessary to overcome the challenges that they're bound to face. That's why we intend to make sure that our apprentices receive continued support once they have completed the training programme, with mentors or career coaches helping them to achieve their personal goals.
As a society, how can we take a more compassionate attitude towards ex-offenders?
The biggest problem is a fear of the unknown: employers are reluctant to take on ex-offenders because they do not have a clear picture of the person they are recruiting. We want to encourage employers to have honest conversations with ex-offenders and to assess their real business skills rather than judging candidates on the basis of their preconceptions. Only by broadening the range of employment opportunities available to ex-offenders will we be able to reduce the reoffending rate. This is in all of our interests.
What's next for Breakout Media?
I'd like to train up about 60 apprentices within the next year and launch a digital media agency that generates commercial income from real clients, ploughing all its profits into the further training of our apprentices. Financial sustainability is the foundation block of a successful social enterprise.
Get involved
RSA Skills Bank has already identified a number of Fellows working in the digital sector who are keen to help train or mentor young ex-offenders through Breakout Media. If you can also help, please email Hayley.
Find out more A recent RSA report, The Learning Prison, argues that technology-enhanced learning can improve ex-offenders' employment prospects. Read the report |
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