Prisoner offered apprenticeship in Cheshire village pub in drive to help rehabilitate offenders

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A village pub in Cheshire is one of the first in the UK to offer an apprenticeship to a serving prisoner. The HMPYOI Thorn Cross inmate will work as a chef de partie at The Partridge in Stretton, Warrington, for a Level Two apprenticeship.

Under the new programme prisoners will be able to work as apprentices while still serving prison time, in order to help with their rehabilitation and to ‘plug the skills gap’.

The pub is participating as its owner, the Timpson Group, has signed up to the government scheme, CheshireLive reports. Chief executive of the Timpson group, James Timpson, 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.

READ MORE: Prime Minister Liz Truss forced to stop Conservative party speech due to Greenpeace protesters “Key to this mission is ensuring that offenders have as many opportunities as possible to gain skills and training while completing their sentence.