A scheme to help more unemployed offenders get a job is being piloted in Stevenage by Hertfordshire Probation Trust and North Hertfordshire College.

Under the scheme, called Open Doors, unemployed offenders sentenced by the Court to carry out unpaid work - Community Payback - will be given the chance to learn new skills and to take part in a weekly job club held at Stevenage Probation Centre.

At the job club they will learn job-seeking skills such as CV-writing, being assertive and how to talk to an employer about their offence. They will also be assessed for basic reading and writing skills and will come out of their first day with a plan for continued learning to improve their skills or for using the job club.

In addition they will spend a day at North Hertfordshire College, where they will be offered advice and guidance on courses available and, where appropriate, take part in taster courses relating to the construction industry, including health & safety on site.

Jobcentre Plus, the YMCA and SOVA, a charity which provides volunteers to work with offenders, are also involved in the initiative, which initially will be for offenders living in Stevenage and Hertford but will be rolled out across the county once any teething problems have been sorted out.

Dawn Brooks, Education, Training & Employment Manager at Hertfordshire Probation Trust, explained: "We already offer Job Club to most of our offenders in Hertfordshire, but those people who are only sentenced to carry out a certain period of Community Payback and nothing else have not been able to attend it.

"We decided to extend Job Club to them because the evidence shows people are less likely to re-offend if they have somewhere to live, a secure relationship and a job. It's in all our interests to try to get them into work - fewer offences mean fewer victims."

Karen Harding, Community Payback Manager, added: "This is something the community as a whole can contribute to - especially employers. I would really urge employers to look at offenders who come through their door looking for a job in a positive light. Many of them are skilled, hard-working people who have made a mistake."

Katrina Kozuch, Deputy Director - Skills for Life, at Nort Hertfordshire College said: "This is an excellent opportunity for organisations such as Probation, SOVA, Jobcentre Plus and the college to work togther and improve the service offered to the local community.

"The scheme means that people who may not normally come into a college environment are still able to access training, improve their skills and gain support that will improve their career and employment options."