Bosses urged to hire ex-prisoners

Leading employers in Staffordshire are being urged to hire former prisoners at a special event showcasing a successful retraining scheme.

Bosses were invited to Stafford Prison on Tuesday to take a look at the project which claims to cut reoffending rates by half.

They were able to talk to prisoners involved in the workshops being run by the Inside Out Trust.

Employers already involved in the project were also on hand to talk about their experiences.

Latest figures show 90% of offenders face unemployment once they are released.

But the scheme at Stafford hopes to improve their chances of finding work and reducing the likelihood of reoffending.

Some participants on the scheme expect to start work on a contract with a national tool hire company in the next few weeks.