The Brighter Pathways programme – a partnership between Wates Residential and recruitment suppler One Way – supports offenders in the last 18 months of their sentence.

A successful pilot has now been completed with HMP Ford in West Sussex, close to where Wates Residential is currently undertaking regeneration work to the river wall at Free Wharf in Shoreham in partnership with Southern Housing Group to make way for over 500 new waterfront homes.

Wates Residential is now looking at further placements across its projects, with the wider group also considering rolling out the scheme across more sites in London and the south.

One ex-prisoner offered a permanent position said: “I can’t believe I have been given this fantastic opportunity with Wates Residential and One Way.

“The day I was told that I had been successful, I just kept smiling. I have been given a second chance to turn my life around and this opportunity will really help me to get my life back on track so that I can make my mum proud of me again.

“I feel lucky to have two companies believe in me enough to give me another chance and to invest in training me. I am excited for my future, working in construction and staying out of prison.”

Paul Nicholls, Managing Director for Wates Residential, said: “Everyone deserves a second chance and the Brighter Futures programme offers a real opportunity for ex-offenders to access sustainable training employment opportunities to support their rehabilitation back into the community and set them up for the future.

“It also makes real business sense to recruit from a wider talent pool if we are to remain fit for the future and address the industry’s widening skills gap.”