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A village pub has become one of the first in the UK to offer an apprenticeship to a serving prisoner under a new government scheme.

The Partridge near Warrington, Cheshire, will take on an inmate from HMPYOI Thorn Cross who will undertake a Level Two apprenticeship while working as a chef de partie.

The pub has taken on the prisoner after its owner, Timpson Group, signed up to the scheme, reports Cheshire Live.

The programme, headed by the Department for Education and Ministry of Justice, will allow prisoners to become apprentices while still serving prison time to help in their rehabilitation and “plug the skills gap”.

James Timpson, Chief Executive of the Timpson Group, said: “At the Timpson Group, we have a track record of championing ex-offenders and providing them with employment opportunities that enable them to break the cycle of reoffending, reintegrate into society and make positive contributions to the economy.

“Key to this mission is ensuring that offenders have as many opportunities as possible to gain skills and training while completing their sentence.

“As such, we are delighted to be providing one of the first ever work placements for the prisoner apprenticeship scheme at The Partridge and are looking forward to working with Novus and Total People to ensure this opportunity can be offered to other prisoners who could benefit from an apprenticeship.”

Prison education provider Novus and apprenticeship provider Total People will be helping the prisoner with their training.

The scheme came after the Government changed the law so prisoners will be able to undertake apprenticeships without a contract.

Richard Suttle, prison governor at HMPYOI Thorn Cross, said: “As an open prison we are committed to supporting the completion of work placements as part of a sentence that will enable prisoners to acquire the skills that will help them secure the stable employment upon their release that we know is so critical to breaking cycles of reoffending.

“As such we are delighted to be one of the first prisons to be supporting one of our prisoners to undertake an apprenticeship and are looking forward to working in partnership with Novus, Total People and Timpson Group to ensure this new training route for prisoners is a success and can be made accessible to as many suitable prisoners as possible.”

The scheme is part of the Government’s bid to boost the employability among ex-offenders after they leave prison.

Recent Ministry of Justice data showed the proportion of them in work after six weeks increased by more than half between April 2021 and March 2022.

Skills Minister Andrea Jenkyns said: “This vital change to the law will not only help us to rehabilitate offenders, but it’s also plugging the skills gap for the future.

“Apprenticeships give employers dedicated new workers in sectors like construction and hospitality and it’s great to have such high-profile companies sign up to help prisoners turn their life around through work and training.”

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