Polly Roberts

Prison Employment Lead @Sodexo

London, GB

As a PEL, I help prison leavers prepare for work on release – this requires me to understand what work they want to do and referring them to suitable courses in custody, such as employability programmes or accredited courses, as well as matching them to suitable vacancies. This support will increase opportunities for them to gain meaningful employment on release.Identifying people who are within 12-weeks of their release to do work readiness assessments and understand what sort of support they might need.Meeting prisoners who have been referred from other agencies within the prison who they have identified as requiring employment support.Helping with applications and referrals to prepare people for work, including working alongside the ID and Banking Administrator to apply for right to work documentation such as birth certificates, bank accounts and driving licenses.Collecting job applications, sending the applications off to employers and arranging in person interviews or Microsoft Teams calls.Arranging employer visits in the Employment Hub so women are able to meet the employers in person to hear all about their opportunities which are available to them upon their release.Engaging with third sector agencies and employers to discuss suitable job opportunities for the women coming up to release.

University of Brighton

Social Policy and Practice, Early Childhood Education and Teaching