We were delighted to invite friends of the FCBA movement to join us on Tuesday July 16th at 2pm for a lively one-hour Opening Doors Forum on employing people with criminal records, co-hosted with our friends and partners at Business in the Community.
A good job is one of the most effective ways to prevent reoffending. But far too many employers – around 1 in 5 – still say they wouldn’t recruit a person with a criminal record (SOURCE: Sodexo, 2023). Even for those willing to open their doors to people with a past, it can be difficult to know where to start: how to help jobseekers prepare for employment, how to find those ready for work, and how to support ‘Fair Chance candidates’ to thrive in their new roles.
About the event
The Fair Chance Business Alliance and Business in the Community facilitated an online forum at 2pm on July 16th 2024. This Opening Doors event provided an opportunity for employers interested in supporting people with criminal records to exchange ideas with their peers and expert organisations on how they can create inclusive workplaces. Together, we:
- Heard directly from people with lived experience of the criminal justice system about the difference that employment has made to their lives and families.
- Learned from leading businesses about how they’ve benefitted from opening their doors to people with criminal records.
- Understood how employers were embedding intentional inclusion through the UK’s only Employment Charter for recruiting and progressing people with criminal records.
- Exchanged ideas with our peers about how to make inclusive recruitment work for business.
