Blue Sky working gets official seal of approval

A new initiative to provide employment for ex-offenders is to be officially launched in the Royal Borough in the New Year.

The council has been piloting the innovative scheme on a temporary six-month contract in conjunction with social enterprise Blue Sky and the council's grounds maintenance contractors ISS Facilities to employ five ex-offenders aged between 18 and 25 years to work on the upkeep of the borough's cemeteries, parks and green open spaces.

The Royal Borough is now to become the first local authority in the country to turn the temporary placements into employment with ISS from the New Year.

The new arrangements will get Home Office approval when Maidenhead MP and Home Secretary Theresa May officially launches the scheme at 10.30am on Friday 7 January 2011 at Braywick Nature Centre, Hibbert Road, Maidenhead.

Cllr Simon Dudley, lead member for adult and community services, said: "This is an excellent scheme which takes a very practical approach to getting low-risk ex-offenders back into paid employment.

"The pilot scheme has worked very well in the last few months and I am delighted that we are now able to offer the people involved permanent employment within our contract with ISS Facilities. They will continue to work with ISS on tasks such as maintenance of parks and cemeteries and tree planting."

Phil Jones, managing director of ISS Facility Services, said: "I am delighted that ISS is playing its part in the delivery of this project. The company has many examples of community-focussed initiatives. However, this permanent arrangement with Blue Sky, the Royal Borough and ISS is particularly pleasing because it is assisting in an area where traditionally it has been difficult to gain support amongst the business community. We look forward to welcoming to ISS more employees from this scheme and to working with Blue Sky to implement this in other contracts."

John Chesters, Blue Sky's commercial director, said: "We are pleased to be entering into a permanent working relationship with the Royal Borough and ISS Facilities following the success of the pilot scheme.

"Blue Sky is an award-winning social enterprise which employs only ex-offenders, offering a proper job with a proper company in areas of grounds maintenance and recycling across the country. Since it was set up nearly five years ago only 15% of its employees have re-offended which is one quarter of the national average."

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