Social Mobility: Driving more career opportunities for people with criminal convictions through Starting Fresh

Could your business consider recruiting someone with a criminal conviction?

Do you have concerns about this? Our Starting Fresh employer toolkit has been produced to address your questions and provides next steps to help you get started.

At Sodexo, we have been running prisons in the UK for 30 years and are committed to rehabilitating offenders, treating those in our care with dignity and providing opportunities for purposeful activity. Our employment, education and rehabilitation services give them the skills, qualifications and support to lead law-abiding lives in their community on release.

Prison-leaver stories

I was always good with hair, and now I’m fully qualified
Read Emily's Starting Fresh story
I want to be working, I want the stability and to provide for my family
Watch: Claire's story
I had no idea you could work full-time in prison until I did it myself
Learn about full-time work in prison

Education, skills training and externally assessed qualifications available in UK prisons

Education facilities in prisons have the same standards and the same focus on results as they do in any educational facility on the other side of the gates. They are inspected by OFSTED to ensure this.

During their time in prison, people have the opportunity to train and study for a broad range of City & Guilds qualifications, GCSEs, A Levels and Open University degrees.

To learn more about some of the vocational skills being taught in our prisons, download the Starting Fresh skills packs below.

Download the Starting Fresh skills packs to learn about the vocational skills being taught in our prisons

Education and skills overview
Download the Education and skills overview
Hair and beauty
Download the Hair and beauty skills pack
Hospitality
Download the Hospitality skills pack
Catering
Download the Catering skills pack
Construction
Download the Construction skills pack

Rehabilitation to recruitment

One year on: How Starting Fresh is supporting employers and changing lives
Starting Fresh is Sodexo’s initiative to support employers in proactively recruiting trained and qualified ex-offenders. Commitment from organisations and colleagues is plugging skills gaps and keeping lives on track.
Read about Starting Fresh one year on
Resettling prisoners after release: getting ex-offenders into the workforce
Sodexo's Tony Simpson, Justice Operations Director, addresses how upskilling, retraining, and boosting confidence activity across our prisons is supporting prisoners into positive futures.
Find out more about resettling prisoners
Unlocking construction opportunities to reduce re-offending
An initiative developed by the New Futures Network – part of HM Prisons and Probation Service gives prisoners the chance to discuss career opportunities with companies who operate in their release areas.
Read about unlocking New Futures
Finding work at Sodexo after release from prison
Hear about working for Sodexo after leaving prison.
Watch a video about a career at Sodexo after a criminal conviction
Do you need to disclose your criminal record when applying for a job?
This video talks about how to apply for jobs as a prison leaver.
Watch the video about applying for a job as an ex-offender

Partner Organisations

Latest Starting Fresh news and insights

Sodexo to offer guaranteed interviews to ex-offenders
Guaranteed interviews for ex-offenders
Expanding employment opportunities for prison-leavers
Opportunities for prison leavers
Sodexo leads industry in 2024 Social Mobility Employer Index
Social mobility index