On Friday 30th June, Weston Education at HMP Channings Wood held a Resettlement event. In attendance were the following providers:

•              Eat That Frog

•              Learn Devon

•              Transplant Mastertrain

•              Whistl

•              Gilpins Demolition

•              Amey Briggs

•              SWISCO

•              Graham engineering & construction

•              Western Counties Roofing

•              Landworks

•              DWP – Job centre

72 learners attended the event in two sittings, the event was to introduce learners  to prospective employers who are prepared to look past the criminal record to discuss employment opportunities on release. The day followed a free-flow format with Employers arranged over 5 rooms. Feedback received from prisoners was really positive with many commenting that it ‘gives them hope’ for life after Prison and enabled them to start thinking about how to make a plan to move forward on release. 

Feedback from the employers was also very positive with all attendees willing to return for future events and some offering to work with us more closely. Preconceptions were broken across the board as most of the visiting employers had not been into a prison before and this is summed up in the following quote from one employer:

“Thank you for the opportunity to come in and speak with the learners last week, it was really engaging, interesting, and most importantly broke down some personal barriers on life on in prison and the opportunities the prisoners have to better themselves upon release.”

A Huge thank you must go to our Resettlement Coordinator at HMP Channings Wood, Emma who worked so hard to make the day happen.