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KPMG UK has announced that it has joined a drive by the government to recruit prison leavers.
The firm has become the first white collar British business to employ ex-offenders as part of a government partnership.
This is in addition to their wider efforts to support and retrain prisoners whilst in jail.
Having successfully employed its first cohort of prison leavers in a range of different roles, including technology development, it is now working with the Ministry of Justice to encourage other big-name businesses to follow suit.
The latest figures show that the proportion of ex-offenders who have been successfully steered into jobs within 6 months has more than doubled in the two years since April 2021.
Jon Holt, KPMG UK chief executive, said: “Our longstanding focus on social mobility is about giving everyone – regardless of their background – the chance to succeed. I believe reformed prison leavers should be no exception.
“As well as creating permanent jobs opportunities, our New Futures pilot builds on our existing support through mentoring and skills workshops and our Redemption Roasters coffee shop in our head office. We want to play our part in helping prison leavers turn their lives around.”
Ed Arfar, prisons and probation minister, added: “Our drive to get ex-offenders into employment is not only cutting crime and reoffending, but is also growing the economy as part of our long-term plan for growth, which is why we’ve partnered with KPMG UK to encourage other businesses to follow suit. We’re helping prisoners kick-start law abiding lives, which makes our streets safer and provides businesses with the staff they need to boost the British economy.”
