Business leaders invited to take part in prison visit as part of the Right Step Project

Today, Wednesday 5 October, business leaders from Cambridgeshire were invited to take part in an innovative and inspirational visit as part of The Prince’s Seeing is Believing programme. HMP Littlehey in Huntingdon was the venue for an eye-opening morning of presentations and discussions; exploring the ways in which businesses in Cambridgeshire can engage with the ex-offender agenda.

 The visit, which started at 8.15am this morning, was organised by Business in the Community (BITC) to inspire and engage business leaders to take part in the Right Step Project. BITC is a business-led charity which works to advise, support and challenge businesses to be responsible, sustainable and successful.  The charity, in partnership with the National Offender Management Service and the European Social Fund, is delivering the Right Step project to help businesses in the East of England; linking employers with their local Prison and Probation services in a way that will benefit both their firm and the wider community.  The aim is to reduce re-offending by offering ’real life’ employability support to serving prisoners and ex-offenders.  Following today’s visit, it is hoped that business leaders will join the Cambridgeshire Right Step Employer’s forum, to continue exploring best practice and sharing experiences of this agenda.

The HMP Littlehey Seeing is Believing visit was hosted by Luminus, a Huntingdon based community housing organisation.  Luminus has earned an enviable reputation as a socially responsible pioneer in the provision of homes, employment and real estate services and currently provides homes for over 30,000 people.

The visit provided attendees with the opportunity to find out how Luminus has engaged with the ex-offender agenda and highlighted the wider business benefits the organisation has gained.  The Governor of HMP Littlehey provided a ‘behind the scenes’ look at life within the prison.

Chan Abraham is Group Chief Executive of Luminus said “The Right Step Employer Forum has provided members of our team with an opportunity to share experiences and best practice with a variety of other businesses and organisations,” he says, “At Luminus we are wholeheartedly committed to making a difference in our communities through a variety of initiatives such as the Ferry Project and the Future Jobs Fund.  A key element of these projects is to provide hope and opportunity for those repeatedly excluded from the jobs market.  For ex-offenders, employment provides an income, self respect and an opportunity to turn away from crime and a reliance on benefits.

Mike Brophy is regional director of Business in the Community in the East of England said:  “We recently commissioned an independent survey of business leaders in the East of England and 45% of them said they would be put off short-listing a skilled and experienced candidate if they knew they had been in prison and/or had a criminal record,” he says.  “These businesses could be dramatically reducing their pool of good people and, in these difficult trading times, that puts them at a disadvantage compared to their competitors. That’s because 17.1%  of the UK working population has a criminal record. In addition, by not giving ex-offenders the chance to compete on a level playing field when it comes to training, work and volunteering opportunities, employers are contributing to one of the most challenging issues that our society and economy faces: the high cost to us all of re-offending.”

“We hope that this unique event will enable business leaders from Cambridgeshire to see how engaging with the ex-offender agenda can help them fulfil their diversity and community involvement responsibilities, as well as bringing benefits to their businesses,” continues Mike Brophy.

Based on an idea of HRH The Prince of Wales, who has been President of Business in the Community for more than 25 years, The Prince’s Seeing is Believing programme has engaged thousands of business leaders over the years, through inspiring visits into the heart of UK’s most deprived communities. 

These visits offer a powerful way to challenge business leaders’ perceptions on responsibility issues: within their individual businesses, through their supply chains and across industries.  Each visit is designed to help business leaders identify the issues most relevant and pressing to communities, showcase examples of successful solutions and promote change through individual and collaborative business action.