Greene King is expanding its Releasing Potential prison leaver employment programme in Scotland by launching a new training kitchen in HMP Perth as well as HMP Onley in Warwickshire.
The kitchens, which were launched in 2019, are designed to allow up to 60 prisoners to develop new skills in hospitality, from food preparation to customer service, with the goal of offering them employment once they leave prison. Each site mirrors a Greene King kitchen and delivers accredited training programmes through a mix of classroom learning and practical sessions,
To-date Greene King, which works with 65 prisons across the UK, has hired 260 prison leavers through the programme, with the aim of hiring a total of 400 by the end of 2025.
As part of its ongoing commitment to hiring prison leavers, Greene King also became one of the first employers in the UK to take part in a pilot programme offering apprenticeships to prisoners in open prisons in October 2022. Earlier this year, Greene King’s first apprentice through the programme, who started their apprenticeship whilst in custody, became a full-time kitchen team member for Greene King. The pub company and brewer is currently working with a number of other candidates who are planning on starting an apprenticeship before their release date.
As well as serving a business need, prison leaver employment programmes are popular with the public. A recent survey conducted by Opinium found that 69% of Brits support programmes that support prison leavers into work and that 30% believe that skills and training for employment is the best support to prevent reoffending.
Nick Mackenzie, CEO of Greene King, said, “The opening of our two new training kitchens in HMP Onley and HMP Perth is a really important part of our continued commitment to offering opportunities to everybody, regardless of their background. With pubs at the heart of local communities across the country, we are in a unique position to provide a range of jobs nationwide.
“The new kitchens are a vital next step in our Releasing Potential programme that is helping to provide prison leavers with the employment and skills they need to build long-term careers in hospitality and successfully rehabilitate. I’d like to thank to all of those who have worked hard behind the scenes in making this possible and I look forward to welcoming more candidates to the Greene King family thanks to the academies and programmes.”
Lord Timpson, Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, said, “Greene King are recruiting in a way that changes lives and can be good for business too. Releasing Potential is the perfect name: many people who leave prison have the potential to become great colleagues. They can be hard working, reliable and committed to doing a great job.”
Terry, a Kitchen Team Leader and Releasing Potential participant, said, “While I was in custody, I was very uncertain as to what the future may hold. I heard about Greene King and opportunities for prison leavers from a member of the kitchen team. I needed to commit to something in relation to work and I’ve always enjoyed cooking so I decided to take part in the programme. I’d never held down a job for longer than three months before so was very nervous about the role. But now I’ve been here for more than five years”
John Tracey, General Manager at Dyce Farm pub in Aberdeen, said, “I’ve been involved in the Releasing Potential programme with Greene King for a number of years and really believe it makes a difference to people’s lives. I’ve seen firsthand some incredible examples of individuals not only learning themselves but then going on to mentor others. It has been great to offer some of these people opportunities to work in my pub when they leave prison.”
