In November 2018 Offploy hosted the Mind The Gap project's first event in the North. It was a great success with over 60 employers and key stakeholders in attendance for the Recruiting Safely and Fairly legal briefing delivered by Nacro consultant Dominic Headley. The day was hosted at the Guildhall in Hull and was sponsored by Keepmoat Homes and Prestige Recruitment Specialists.
The event saw guest speakers from the Ministry of Justice’s New Futures Network and the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership and also had a Q&A panel with representatives from Prestige Recruitment Specialists, Willmott Dixon and Intertech Contract Services. The aim was to outline the support and training Mind the Gap and its partners can provide employers in the construction industry and other key stakeholders from the region when it comes to employing people with criminal convictions to fill skills gaps within the industry.
The Mind the Gap project, commissioned by CITB, aims to work with employers and stakeholders to give them the necessary tools, confidence and support to access and recruit people with criminal convictions – often a relatively untapped pool of talent.
Offploy is a social enterprise set up in 2016 which recruits staff, typically without convictions, for the criminal justice sector then reinvests 100% of the profits into helping those with criminal convictions find meaningful, mentored and sustainable employment. The new initiative received over 10m views across the world on LinkedIn after addressing such a difficult issue felt globally.
Nacro are a national social justice charity with more than 50 years’ experience of changing lives, building stronger communities and reducing crime. They house, educate, support, advise and speak out for and with disadvantaged young people and adults. They help people in custody and the community to reintegrate into society by helping with housing, mental health and substance misuse issues.
Jacob Hill, Offploy’s Managing Director, said: “Hosting Mind The Gap in partnership with Keepmoat Homes, the Humber LEP and Prestige Recruitment Specialists is our way of showing our commitment to addressing the talent shortage in the construction sector in the U.K. The day was an incredible success with many construction employers open to hiring more people with criminal convictions. Employment is shown to reduce reoffending and this will make society safer thanks to our local construction partners.”
Keep an eye out for future events from Offploy and our friends at Mind The Gap for more information on the safe and fair recruitment of people with criminal convictions.