Our Achieve team supports offenders’ transition back into society through gainful employment, education or training – with the aim of helping to reduce reoffending and stop cycles of offending.
Achieve provides services to His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), individual prisons, and local government. We build strong partnerships and work closely with subcontractors to provide clear pathways for those we support.
Our contracts include:
Creating Future Opportunities Evolution Programme, North West
Career Connect ‘s Achieve team, alongside our partner and key sub-contractor The Growth Company, is the provider for the new CFO Evolution contract Northwest, which runs from June 2024 – April 2027.
Operational delivery commences on August 1, 2024.
Together in partnership with The Growth Company, we will deliver services to help offenders move toward mainstream provision or activity which reinforces the value of leading law-abiding lives.
This includes supporting participants with entering employment, education and training and interacting positively with their local community. CFO Evolution is not a standalone programme but is designed to complement and support core HMPPS provision.
We will deliver CFO Evolution both in prisons and in the community in the following ways:
- Prison delivery: Our Support Workers will deliver in 14 prisons across the Northwest and through two specialist wing models – in HMP Risley and HMP Lancaster Farms.
- Community delivery: Three activity Hubs, located in Blackpool, Manchester and Liverpool and three satellite Hubs in Blackburn, Warrington and Preston. We will also offer a limited community service to people on probation who are not able/willing to attend activity Hubs.
*In the meantime, Achieve continues to deliver the HMPPS CFO3 programme across the Northwest (which it has done since July 2015) until that contract comes to an end in July 2024.
To learn more about the work of HMPPS CFO, please visit CreatingFutureOpportunities.gov.uk.
Careers Information, Advice and Guidance in prisons
We work in custody to support offenders and ex-offenders to access employability services and prepare to move back into the community. We deliver impactful Careers Information Advice and Guidance (CIAG).
Our work in Lancashire and Cumbria is award-winning, with one of our team being named Partner of the Year at the annual HMPPS awards for their work in helping increase the number of prison leavers in our Lancashire and Cumbria prisons entering into employment by an impressive 300 per cent.
Greater Manchester Education, Training and Employment (GM ETE)
Achieve delivers GM ETE on behalf of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), as part of Greater Manchester Integrated Rehabilitative Services (GMIRS).
We operate in probation offices across the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester.
Our Key Worker supports the individual to create an action plan designed to help them achieve their learning and employment goals.
We provide preparation for interviews, CV support, 1-2-1 and group sessions, job search, support with applications for work or education and access to training and job opportunities. We also deliver job clubs. The individual’s Key Worker will support that person throughout the process.
We have strong community links and work in partnership with a range of training and employment providers to help people on probation overcome barriers and build skills and experience, enhancing their life chances after custody.
We work closely with the other GMIRS providers. We collaborate with them to achieve positive outcomes, innovate and co-deliver to ensure that people on probation receive a seamless path to specialist support, helping to reduce re-offending and creating a successful pathway beyond their time on Probation.
