Project helps young ex-offenders find work

Aug 17 2010 By Jane Harrison

From left to right: Shane Richards, Clarissa Stoneham, Lukas Kondratavicius, Shana Ebanks

Young ex-offenders find it tougher than most to find work. A new project is helping to prepare them and three young people talk about turning their lives around.

AS the job market contracts under the weight of the credit crunch one group of people find it tougher to find work than most.

They are the young ex-offenders who are trying to put their past behind them by actively seeking work but come up against the stigma held by many employers. Faced with a wealth of youngsters looking for work employers simply don't want or need to take the risk with a former offender.

Clarissa Stoneham is project co-ordinator of Young Offenders in Custody and Community (YOCC), a two-year programme which helps find work for 16-18-year NEETS (not in employment, education or training) who have generally served custodial or community sentences within the last two years. She said: "It is challenging because there is a stigma about young offenders but I get past that with resilience. It's about re-educating employers to give these young people a chance. I often get employers who will 'try before they buy,' and give a week's trial with a view to employment or apprenticeship.

"A lot of employers are receptive and just need to understand that I will only put forward a young person who is job ready. It's about breaking down barriers and understanding the nature of the offences as in many cases the person has been in a group situation or a raid when everyone gets done."

Clarissa said the type of offences ranged from fighting, carrying weapons or shoplifting and in many cases were a "cry for help." She added: "I don't think any 16-year-old wakes up and thinks: 'I am going to commit a crime by getting involved in a stabbing or shooting.'"

Many of the NEETS don't have basic skills so the Action Acton programme, which runs flexible sessions and covers Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham and Hounslow, offers accredited literacy and numeracy and non-accredited certificates in construction as well as music production and fitness. There is also information and guidance on apprenticeship, cv and interview techniques and assertiveness training. Incentives are also attached to achievement such as vouchers which can be spent on anything from sportswear to phone tops ups, although Clarissa encourages her young people to save them for "something substantial like driving lessons."

Clarissa said she was deeply impressed by the determination and commitment shown by many of the young people, most of who had struggled against an adverse background or personal or family problems. She said: "I am inspired by them, by their optimism, which makes them so attractive and easy to work with and by their eagerness get on in spite of past problems. Of course some of them can be challenging, but they can also be extremely polite and well-behaved. They are respectful, responsive and eager to learn and achieve. They have made mistakes, but they are not the same people anymore."

Around 100 young people have been through the door with 70 getting formal training, including college courses, and five getting permanent work. One employer described one current young man as: "diligent, positive and a great team player who showed a lot of potential and was a real diamond in the rough." She added it was important for employers to: "believe in the individual and if they are willing to learn, give them a chance."