Timpson Group

The skills challenge

The Timpson Group is a private business owned by John Timpson and his family. There are over 900 Timpson shops in the UK offering a range of services such as shoe repairs, key cutting, watch repairs and dry cleaning.

The company is passionate about solving the issue of mass unemployment amongst ex-offenders and believe that the ex offender population presents a pool of untapped potential to UK businesses. The Group already works with over 75 prisons and is the largest employer of ex-offenders in the UK. Re-offending blights lives and communities, carrying personal, social and economic costs of between £9.5 billion and £13 billion a year. A quarter of claims for out-of-work benefits as at 1 December 2010 in England and Wales were made by offenders who had received at least one caution or conviction between 2000 to 2010. For about half of all job vacancies, employers are likely to reject most people with a criminal record.

The solution

This project will expand and develop the ground breaking ex offender training already in place at Timpson. The programme recruits and trains ex offenders (and ‘disadvantaged’ individuals referred by other agencies) in the full range of skills required for long term employment within the shoe repair, key cutting, dry cleaning and photo retail industries.

Ex offenders are trained in the same way as other employees, through the Group’s internal ‘Apprenticeship’ scheme, which teaches and assesses both industry specific and transferable skills. If new recruits have a great personality and some practical aptitude, they can succeed, regardless of educational background or their ability to thrive in a ‘classroom’ environment. This is why the training is suitable for people who traditionally struggle to find employment. The project will:

• Expand the in-prison training academies, training over 300 inmates over 2 years. On release, all trainees are guaranteed a three month trial in the business and many (c40 per cent so far) secure permanent roles at the end of this
• Provide work experience and hands on training to 225 young offenders and inmates on ROTL (release on temporary licence)
• Provide advanced skills training to 200 ‘Foundation colleagues’ (ex offenders) recruited into the Timpson and Max Spielmann businesses, through the apprenticeship to ‘master craftsman’ programmes.

Impact

The programme will give over 300 inmates the quality skills training, confidence and discipline that will help them find a job post release. 200 ex-offenders will be recruited and provided with the skills and support they need to secure permanent employment in the industry.

In essence, the programme provides the opportunities that enable ex-offenders to secure sustainable long term employment and avoid re-offending.

16 of Timpson shops are now managed by people recruited from prison. Out of nearly 300 men and women who have joined Timpson over the last four years they only know of seven who have re-offended.

Investment

Employer investment: £2,123,838
Employer Ownership Pilot Funding: £1,201,992
Total: £3,325,830

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