A lifeline for
ex-offenders
Amey Infrastructure Wales has teamed up with Transport for Wales to help ex-offenders get their lives back on track and ease its employment shortfall.
We all know that new projects, maintenance and repairs need people on the ground but that people are not always easy to find. That’s a big quandary for rail businesses, but one solution is the Pathway Programme being run across South Wales. This gives Category D prisoners – those who have committed more minor offences – the chance to get the skills and experience to build a career in our industry.
Amey Infrastructure Wales (AIW), in partnership with Transport for Wales, is working with the scheme on the Core Valley Lines. Steve Womack, AIW’s Head of Health, Safety, Environment and Quality, explains: ‘The idea is that we take on individuals who come to us on a temporary licence, which allows them to work as they come towards the end of their sentence. At the end of their licence, if they’ve done well, we can look at permanent employment.’
AIW recognises that you need to be open about the kinds of offenders you’re going to be working with. ‘It can be upsetting for some people, especially if they have prior awareness of an offence committed or experience of similar offences,’ says Steve. ‘You have to allow for that – it’s human. But I have to say, everyone we’ve worked with has been brilliant and our existing team members have been overwhelmingly positive.
Unfortunately, Britain does not have a good record of keeping people out of the criminal justice system once they’ve been released. ‘The figures for re-offending are actually quite shocking,’ Steve says. ‘Tackling that was a big attraction for us. We have a large local workforce working on the Valley Lines, and the people who have come through the Pathway Programme are also part of that community. So, we’re interested in the longer-term benefits this can bring to everyone.’
Gareth James Anderson is enjoying some of those benefits. ‘I came into Amey and was greeted with open arms,’ he says. ‘Everyone was very positive and welcoming. They made me feel comfortable straight away.’
For Steve, the scheme has been a great success. ‘We’ve taken on 12 people. Three dropped out, but that is an excellent rate. And we’ve learned such a lot, particularly the changes to people’s lives. For example, we have one person in a managerial position, but he’s still in the system, so he has to go back to the prison in the evening. This means he’s working in a very different world in the day, with quite a lot of freedom, but goes back to a very restricted environment. That’s a big enough transition, but the final transition back to real life is even bigger.’
Gareth adds: ‘I think I can speak for everyone, that Pathway has given us a massive opportunity to start a career that wouldn’t have been an option before. I was studying for my health and safety qualifications and I never dreamed I would be doing the job I was training for so quickly, even while I was still in the prison system. I am totally grateful for that opportunity.’
Steve goes on to say that ‘there is so much untapped potential out there, and so much enthusiasm and energy. I would definitely recommend Pathway as a means of easing the employment shortfall.’
Steve Womack of Amey Infrastructure Wales talks to RSSB about how he has found workers with transferable skills through the Pathway Programme.
Social value is becoming increasingly important to the rail industry. ATW’s initiative is one way the railway can help itself to thrive and give something back to society.
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This article was first published in the May edition of RSSB's newsletter Rail Safety Review.