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<p>We want prisons to be places of hard work, rigorous education and high ambition,
with incentives for prisoners to learn and for prison staff to prioritise education
and employment opportunities.</p><p> </p><p>We already work with a wide range of employers
in prison through One3One Solutions and engagement by Prison Governors. But we want
Governors to do more so we are putting the tools to drive this change in the hands
of those at the frontline who best know what works.</p><p> </p><p>We are keen to increase
the number of employers who can provide valuable vocational work for offenders while
in prison and who are able to offer them support in preparation for release and employment
opportunities following their release. I regularly meet businesses across the country,
to encourage them to get involved and new businesses are now coming on board as a
consequence. The Employers Forum for Reducing Reoffending brings together employers
willing to employ offenders and provides a range of advice and support to new employers
considering working with offenders and provides business to business mentoring to
members of the Forum. We are working with the Department for Work and Pensions to
increase the involvement of more businesses. The Prime Minister has also announced
changes to recruitment practises across the civil service to ensure that people are
considered on their merits and not on their criminal conviction and we want to encourage
more employers to do the same.</p><p> </p><p>Separately, the Secretary of State for
Justice has commissioned a review of prison education led by Dame Sally Coates.</p>
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