Five ex-prisoners with stories to tell have taken part in Work Stories – a new and innovative approach to job skills training, funded by the Ministry of Justice as part of their digital innovation fund.
What is work stories?
Made by the people who know best, ex-prisoners have shared their stories and passed on their work skills to people in prison via this new, innovative digital employability course.
“I don’t think your convictions define you” – Jamie
At the heart of the education programme are five co-produced short films made with ex-prisoners and their employers. In the films, ex-prisoners tell their story, how they got their job, what skills they use, and the purpose, meaning and stability employment has provided for them beyond the paycheck.
The participants represent different backgrounds, stories and locations, but all show how using your lived experience and drawing on the skills you already have can help you find work after release.
With a focus on building confidence through empowerment, the films are powerful, authentic and inspiring.
Watch the trailer below.
The five participants were filmed in their workplace which ranged from retail (Timpsons), food production (COOK), a charity (Fresh Start), land maintenance (Inside & Out) and trade (XO Bikes).
Filming took place across the country, in Northumberland, Kent, Liverpool, Norfolk and London, and the settings were all very different – from an office, to a food production factory, a bike mechanic workshop to forestland.
In the films, colleagues and employers were able to demonstrate the changes they’ve made to recruit people with lived experience, and show their personal experiences of working with the participant and the value they bring to the workplace.
“If my story can help someone else sitting in a cell, I hope it does” – Stacey
Innovative digital learning
The films are accompanied by an engaging and thought-provoking digital course, with interactive activities that focus on key soft skills and confidence-building to help prison leavers successfully transition to employment.
The skills developed via the online activities are based on the ex-prisoners own experiences and include input from their employers on the skills and attributes they require in the workplace.
The skills developed include:
- Confidence building
- Understanding the workplace
- How to develop a change of perspective and mindset
- How to talk about yourself and tell your story
Outcomes for learners include increased confidence, wellbeing and resilience. By working through the modules, the learners discover how work can give purpose and meaning, and how they can tell their own story differently.
What next?
Work Stories is soon to be launched across prisons in England to be used by prisoners as part of the education and employment learning available in their prison.
The first phase will take place in 10 test sites, to be followed by nationwide roll out.
Work stories is funded by the Ministry of Justice as part of their digital innovation fund.