Career Connect expands into East and North Midlands with new Prison contracts

We are further growing our presence in the East and North Midlands after securing the Ministry of Justice contract to deliver the Prison Careers Information Advice and Guidance (CIAG) service across both regions.

Career Connect previously held contracts for four prisons in the North Midlands before contracting switched to a regional model, with the charity being successful in the latest tender process.

Our Achieve team – which specialises in criminal justice settings – will deliver the service in 13 prisons across both regions, starting on 1st April 2025. Implementation is currently underway.

A wealth of experience

For more than 20 years our charity has empowered individuals of all ages to overcome barriers and move forward in employment, education or training. The criminal justice sector is a major area of our expertise.

Research shows that being in employment after release from custody plays a significant role in preventing re-offending. Professional CIAG advisers from our Achieve team will work with offenders in custody across the East and North Midlands. Our support runs from the start of the individual’s sentence up to preparing for release.  The aim here is to help prevent cycles of re-offending.

Developing employability skills for a transition back into the community

The advisers will help those in custody to set education, skills, and work-related goals.  Their support includes help to develop employability skills and searching for and applying for jobs as they prepare to transition back into the community. They will work with employers to help offenders increase their knowledge of the labour market and promote more sustained employment outcomes.

They will also work in close partnership with education and training providers and wider rehabilitation services, to support sustainable, long-term outcomes and help reduce re-offending.

Preparing for employment, further education or training

Careers Information, Advice and Guidance (CIAG) is part of the government’s Prisoner Education Service (PES) in England. The vision of PES is that everyone of working age and able to work should leave prison prepared for employment or further education and training.

Sheila Clark, CEO of Career Connect said: “After successfully delivering the Prison Careers Information Advice and Guidance (CIAG) service in four North Midlands prisons, we are looking forward to increasing our positive impact with this new, regional contract across the East and North Midlands.

“We are now looking forward to further strengthening our relationships in the East and North Midlands with education and training providers, wider rehabilitation services, and employers, to achieve better outcomes for people with convictions and society as a whole.

“We know from experience as well as research that breaking a cycle of offending for one person can help change the future for generations to come.”

The best chance to make positive, sustained changes

Chris Bennett, Director of Justice Services at Career Connect said: “Career Connect’s Achieve team is incredibly well-equipped to deliver this new East and North Midlands contract, having led the way in employer engagement, tailored support, and relationship building with agencies and commissioners on previous and current national contracts.

“Our professional teams combine their advisory and coaching skills with knowledge of the labour market to give people in custody the best chance to make positive, sustained changes at what could be a key turning point in their lives.”

A proven track record

We have a strong track record in the criminal justice sector: 

• Career Connect is the prime contractor for the HMPPS Creating Future Opportunities (CFO) contract for the Northwest (2024 – 2027).  This includes 14 prisons across the Northwest and two specialist wing models, three community activity Hubs (Blackpool, Manchester and Liverpool), three satellite Hubs (Blackburn, Warrington and Preston) and a limited community service.
• We previously held the HMPPS CFO3 contract for the Northwest, where we worked with over 40,000 hard-to-reach participants with complex needs and barriers to employment. This included managing more than a dozen subcontractors and partners to create a service that met the diverse needs of our participants. We also developed a successful employment brokering service, building strong relationships with businesses and linking them up with work-ready participants.
• In our current contract with Lancashire and Cumbria prisons, we have achieved participant employment rates almost 1.7 times the national average within six weeks post-release – a best-in-class service. We have also secured this contract from April 1, 2025.
• We also deliver the Greater Manchester Education, Training and Employment (GM ETE) on behalf of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), as part of Greater Manchester Integrated Rehabilitative Services (GMIRS). We operate in all probation offices across the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester and works closely with other GMIRS providers.

We also produce regular research reports, often in collaboration, to highlight what works in CEIAG.

Forthcoming research in the justice sector includes a journal article on the effect that noises unique to the prison environment have on prisoners with PTSD.

For more information on the careers information, advice and guidance support we provide to offenders, please visit our Achieve: Criminal Justice page.