Lord Chancellor officially opens HMP High Down workshop

Galliford Try's Building Southern business were delighted to take part in the opening event of the new workshop at HMP High Down, where guest of honour, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Alex Chalk met with prisoners who worked on the scheme through placements with Galliford Try, and are now continuing careers in construction.

Delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the establishment at HMP High Down, the new DHL workshop has been designed and built by Galliford Try and included paid placements for eight prisoners during construction through its Construction Mentorship Partnering Scheme, which provides prisoners with valuable work experience that will also benefit them once they are released when looking for work.

Going forward, the workshop will provide real-word training and work opportunities to 90 men at a time, supporting HMP High Down in achieving its overarching objective, which is to reduce reoffending by providing safe and effective rehabilitation and support to prisoners. The HMP High Down project alone represents a potential £385k savings to taxpayers in terms of successful rehabilitation against the cost of accommodating re-offenders.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Alex Chalk MP KC, said: “Our drive to improve prison education and business links is helping cut crime, with more prisoners going straight into work on release than ever before.

“Helping reformed offenders kickstart a new, law-abiding career is a win-win - it makes our streets safer while providing businesses with the reliable staff they need to help drive the British economy.”

Heather Bryant, Regional Community and Social Impact Manager for Galliford Try Building Southern, commented: "It has been a great experience being involved in this fantastic mentoring scheme. What better way is there to fill skills shortages than offering numerous people training, mentoring and work opportunities to - it's an untapped resource for us."

Read more about the story on the government website here