Social Enterprise rolls out entrepreneurship programme to North West prisons

Bolton-based social enterprise, Entrepreneurs Unlocked, secures National Lottery funding to roll out its mentoring programme for 200 people in prison across the Northwest.

Entrepreneurs Unlocked is a social enterprise that works with people in prison and on probation to enable them to recognise, develop and utilise their entrepreneurial talent. The social enterprise works with prisoners to help them to embark on a new pathway by providing specialist programmes, advice and support informed by learning from hundreds of people that have been in the criminal justice system.

Since its launch in 2019, Entrepreneurs Unlocked has worked with prisons in Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside and now, with the funding from the National Lottery, Entrepreneurs Unlocked is set to roll out its programmes to three prisons across Lancashire and Cumbria.

The programmes that prisoners and people on probation in Lancashire and Cumbria will be participating in, include entrepreneurial skills exploration sessions, self-employment short courses, smart subcontracting programmes for people wanting to learn about getting into construction, and offender to entrepreneur programmes.

David Morgan, Entrepreneurs Unlocked founder, said: “I am delighted that thanks to the National Lottery Funding we will be working in Lancashire and Cumbria for the first time. We have worked across Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside since we launched Entrepreneurs Unlocked in 2019, and it has always been my ambition to further extend our offering to additional regions in the Northwest.

“With almost 2 in 3 adults with custodial sentences of less than 1 year reoffending within 12 months of release, and the total cost of reoffending in excess of £18 billion per annum, ways to reduce its impact on the individual and society is of value and benefit to all.”

A prisoner accessing the Entrepreneurs Unlocked workshop said: “I liked everything about the session, it provided plenty of information and was interesting and easy to follow, and I really liked hearing everybody’s ideas and opinions.”

David Morgan concludes: “At Entrepreneurs Unlocked we identify and nurture the untapped entrepreneurial talent in the justice system and develop a mindset that changes people’s lives, reduces reoffending, and improves our communities.

“Our targeted mentoring programme for prisoners and people on probation in Cumbria aims to break the very costly cycle of crime, the cost of reoffending, and the impact that reoffending has on the community.”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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