Blue Sky is a UK social enterprise with a purpose of finding substantial employment for ex-offenders. Founded in 2005, Blue Sky works with local authorities and commercial contractors across the United Kingdom and has helped employee over 500 ex-offenders.
Blue Sky's program offers six months of contract work to people coming out of prison with a view to enabling them to make the move into long-term, sustainable employment. The program is aimed at curbing statistics that indicate 60% of ex-offenders will reoffend within two years of leaving prison. Blue Sky claims that after working with their program, that rate drops to 15%.
Blue Sky estimates that reoffending costs UK taxpayers £13 billion each year and has a national focus when it comes to addressing the issue through its proactive program.
Contact Information
Blue Sky website
Ex-Con Employment Facilitators
Blue Sky in the UK Finds Real Jobs for Ex-Offenders
Trend Themes
1. Ex-offender Employment Programs - The success of Blue Sky's program in finding sustainable employment for ex-offenders represents an opportunity for the expansion of similar ventures aimed at reducing recidivism rates.
2. Corporate Social Responsibility - The success of Blue Sky's program in fulfilling a social purpose while remaining profitable highlights the increasingly significant role of CSR in modern business practices.
3. Social Enterprises - Blue Sky's success as a social enterprise creates opportunities for the development of other businesses that prioritize positive social impact over profit.
Industry Implications
1. Construction - As Blue Sky partners with commercial contractors, there is ample opportunity for other companies in the construction industry to create similar programs that will assist with the issue of finding employment for ex-offenders.
2. Government - Government agencies can partner with organizations such as Blue Sky to reduce their expenditure on recidivism-related costs and to promote the rehabilitation of ex-offenders back into society.
3. Human Resources - Human resource departments can look for opportunities to hire from ex-offender employment programs such as Blue Sky, contributing to CSR goals while also increasing diversity and potential talent pools within their organizations.