Presented by Jemma Bridgeman
The Social Partnership and Public Procurement Bill represents a commitment from the Welsh Government to place social partnerships on a statutory footing in Wales. This research examines a case study of a collaborative project aiming to create a pathway for people with convictions into construction employment. People who have been convicted of an offence face barriers accessing employment. Only 32% of working age ex-offenders are in employment compared to around 60% of the general population. Research suggests that the most successful model for supporting people who have served a custodial sentence into work are cross-sector collaborations between governments, employers, third-sector organisations and communities. This research examined a case study project that involved organisations from a range of sectors (the third sector, private companies, prisons, government, and education) sharing expertise, knowledge, resources and support through a steering group. Over two years 11 pilot projects were developed and implemented to explore new ways of supporting people with convictions into construction employment. It was concluded that cross sector collaboration was a powerful mechanism for the construction industry that can meet social procurement responsibilities and support people with convictions overcome barriers into employment.
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