By Jay Tavares-
Croydon Council has become the first London borough to join a renowned scheme that helps young offenders find paid work and “break the cycle” of re-offending.
The borough council announced today that t is joining forces with The Skill Mill programme to work together for the next four years, helping young offenders develop their skill set and turn away fro a life of crime.
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Croydon, which has recorded 33,410 crimes last May (including 11,771 violence against the person) crimes, is London’s ninth most dangerous borough. Stabbings and vehicle thefts are rife in the borough, and the laudable Skill Mill project proposes to address that.
The Skill Mill programme is jointly commissioned by seven local authorities, and supported by the Life Chances Fund awarded by The National Lottery Community Fund.
The Skill Mill is a Not for Profit Social Enterprise providing employment opportunities for young people 16-18. Following 2 years of pilot work in the North East of England the Skill Mill was.
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The Skill Mill is supported by an Advisory Board of representatives from The Environment Agency, Northumbrian Water Ltd. The ESH Group, Northumbria University, East Durham College, Tyne Rivers’ Trust, Northumberland Wildlife Trust and Newcastle City Counci
A spokesperson for the council said in a statement:
“In groups of four at a time the youngsters will take part in an intensive six-month work programme of paid work that will result in a nationally-recognised qualification and the opportunity to progress into further employment or training.
“Employers include Balfour Beatty, Kier Construction, Thames Water and the council’s own jobs brokerage service Croydon Works and the young people – aged between 16 and 18 – will be involved in environmental and site maintenance jobs including park and garden preservation.”
Plaudits
The Skill Mill has won plaudits in recent years including a gong at the UK Social Enterprise Awards and a number of other accolades and recognitions according to their website.
David Parks, the project’s managing director, started The Skill Mill in Newcastle and 2013 and said he welcomed the chance to bring it to the South:
“We mostly work in the north and so it’s fantastic this partnership with Croydon has come about,” he said.
“The Skill Mill focuses on some of the most challenging young people who otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to be taken out of that cycle of violence.
“Just 12 per cent of the kids who come through the programme re-offend compared with the national average of 43 per cent.
“We are trailblazers and no-one else is exclusively employing young people who are ex-offenders,” Parks added.
All of the young people involved in the programme live in the borough and this week the first cohort began their six months of work, starting with garden maintenance.
One of them, Nathan aged 17, said: “It’s a great opportunity for me as someone who’s had a bit of a bad past.”
The Skill Mill programme is jointly commissioned by seven local authorities, and supported by the Life Chances Fund awarded by The National Lottery Community Fund.
The number of children who received a caution or sentence has fallen by 83 per cent over the last ten years (2008/09-2018/19), with a 19 per cent fall in the last year according to government data.
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