The Right Step Conference: Breaking Down Barriers to Employment

The event was held at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Stansted Airport , Essex and 140 private, public and third sector organisations registered to attend.  At the conference a Toolkit, developed by and for employers, was launched to join the Code of Practice which was published last year.  Also launched were the first twelve of a series of case studies which have been recorded over the course of the project as examples of good practice.

You need the latest Flash installed and Javascript enabled to view media on this page. Please ensure Javascript has been enabled in your browser settings. You can download Flash with the link below.

Get Flash Player now

The conference programme was led by celebrity entrepreneur Levi Roots who turned his life around after getting into trouble with the police and serving time in Pentonville Prison.  He went on to launch a hugely successful food brand – Reggae Reggae Sauce – and charmed the Dragons on BBC2’s Dragon’s Den.

The conference represented  the culmination of BITC East of England’s Right Step project which has had the following aims:

* To highlight the importance of removing barriers to employment for ex-offenders, in order to prevent re-offending and reduce crime
* Share examples of good practice where employers have helped remove some of the barriers that exist, to the benefit of both the employer and the individual
* Bring together a network of employers and prison/ probation staff in order to enhance links for future work
In addition to Levi Roots, delegates heard from a number of high profile businesses from the East of England including UK Power Networks, ASDA, Chapelfield Shopping Centre (view video above), DHL, MITIE, Peterborough City Council and Sue Ryder.  Representatives from these organisations provided real life examples of how their businesses  benefitted from thinking ‘outside the box’ when employing staff.

“Crime has a huge impact on our society and particularly on businesses, and reducing re-offending is one of the best ways to reduce crime levels,” said Mike Brophy, BITC’s Regional Director for the East of England. “Evidence shows that having a job is a major factor in preventing future offending because it means that people have a real alternative to crime.  But many offenders face significant barriers to entering the labour market even when they are committed to changing their lives.”