Building Second Chances: How Roofing Can Help Solve the Skills Crisis Through Prison Training Schemes

Here, Jack Mellor, CEO of background screening specialist Personnel Checks, looks at why rehabilitation and employment programmes could become an important part of the industry’s future workforce strategy.

Jack Mellor, CEO of Personnel Checks

The need for skilled tradespeople continues to grow as the construction industry responds to housebuilding targets and demand for retrofit work. Yet, despite the opportunities available, businesses continue to struggle to find enough people with the right skills, experience and attitude to meet demand. 

Traditional recruitment routes are increasingly stretched and are not keeping pace with the demand for skilled workers. Businesses, therefore, need to consider where else the next generation of skilled workers might come from.

One area attracting increasing attention is the employment of people with convictions, including those approaching the end of custodial sentences. A growing number of employers are recognising that, alongside the social benefits, there is a practical workforce case for doing so.

Prison training programmes can provide access to motivated individuals who have gained relevant skills and are looking for a fresh start. The roofing sector is already beginning to explore this opportunity. HMP Kirkham is currently providing a range of education, training and work opportunities designed to help men prepare for life after release.

Among the courses available is a new liquid roofing training programme delivered by GLA Group in partnership with Sika. The initiative introduces learners to the roofing industry through a combination of classroom-based learning and practical experience. Participants can continue to access roofing training after release and, once work-ready, may be supported towards an NVQ Level 2 qualification and connected with employers in Sika’s national network.

For roofing contractors, this type of programme provides something the industry urgently needs: a pipeline of people who have already started developing relevant skills before entering the workforce. Importantly, it is designed to connect that training with sustainable, long-term employment after release.

More Than Just Learning a Trade

For some people in prison, the challenge is not only learning practical skills but adjusting to the expectations and routines of employment. Around 40% of men at Kirkham have never previously worked. However, around 60% of men leaving Kirkham are in employment six months after release. This highlights the role that structured training and employer partnerships can play in supporting successful resettlement.

A Workforce Opportunity for Roofing Contractors

For roofing subcontractors, the conversation around employing people with convictions is not simply about doing the right thing. It is increasingly about addressing a commercial challenge.

The roofing sector, like much of construction, has an ageing workforce and continues to experience difficulties attracting new entrants. Creating additional routes into the industry will be essential if businesses are to maintain capacity and deliver future projects.

Major contractors are increasingly recognising this. Companies including Wates Group and Balfour Beatty have supported prison employment initiatives as part of their wider social value commitments, helping create pathways into construction careers while addressing workforce needs.

For smaller roofing subcontractors operating within major contractors’ supply chains, this matters. Main contractors are under growing pressure to demonstrate the social value delivered through their projects, and employment opportunities for people who face barriers to work and underrepresented groups are increasingly becoming part of those conversations.

That creates an opportunity for subcontractors. Businesses able to engage with these programmes, and demonstrate a fair, considered approach to recruiting people with convictions, may be better placed to contribute to the social value objectives of the contractors they work for. At the same time, they gain access to candidates they might previously have overlooked.

Screening Should Support Better Hiring Decisions

Of course, employing people with convictions requires a balanced approach. For roofing contractors, that can be particularly important because the nature of the work and the environments in which it takes place can vary considerably from one contract to another.

A contractor working on an unoccupied commercial building, for example, may face different screening requirements from someone carrying out work in a school, hospital or other sensitive setting. Employers therefore need to understand not only whether a DBS check is appropriate, but which level of check the particular role is legally eligible for.

A Basic DBS check can be requested for any role and shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions. Standard and Enhanced DBS checks provide a greater level of criminal record information, but they can only be requested where the role meets the relevant legal eligibility criteria. An Enhanced check may also contain relevant information held by local police and, where the role qualifies, can include a check against the relevant children’s or adults’ barred list.

This distinction matters when businesses are considering candidates with convictions. Screening should help an employer understand potential risks and make an informed decision; it should not become a blanket mechanism for excluding anyone with a criminal record.

For roofing subcontractors, having a clear and proportionate screening process can also provide reassurance further up the supply chain. If a main contractor is encouraging employment opportunities for people leaving prison, subcontractors need to know that they can support that objective while continuing to meet their own safeguarding, compliance and client requirements.

That means looking beyond the simple question of whether somebody has a conviction. Employers should consider the nature and circumstances of an offence, its relevance to the work being carried out, how long ago it occurred and the evidence of rehabilitation, alongside the risks and responsibilities associated with the role.

It is equally important not to request a higher level of DBS check simply because an employer would prefer to have more information. Eligibility for Standard and Enhanced checks is set in law, so businesses need to establish the correct level of screening for the role.

Done properly, background screening and second-chance recruitment should not be competing priorities. A robust screening process can give employers the confidence to consider candidates individually, rather than ruling out an entire pool of potential workers because of their past.

Timpson, one of the UK’s most recognised second-chance employers, has demonstrated that this approach can work at scale. More than 12% of its workforce has a past criminal conviction, with the company highlighting strong retention and loyalty among these employees rather than presenting the initiative as charity. Giving people the opportunity to build a career can create benefits for both the individual and the employer.

Building Sustainable Careers

The success of programmes such as the GLA Group and Sika initiative at HMP Kirkham demonstrates how rehabilitation and workforce development can work together.

For people leaving prison, access to stable employment can provide a route towards a more secure future. For employers, it creates access to a pool of potential talent at a time when skilled workers are increasingly difficult to find.

For roofing subcontractors, there is another consideration. As main contractors place greater emphasis on social value across their supply chains, engaging with prison training and employment programmes could help businesses respond to those expectations while tackling their own recruitment challenges.

As the sector looks for solutions to its skills shortage, expanding these opportunities could be one of the most practical steps it takes.

The future workforce may not come only from traditional recruitment routes. It may also come from people who simply need the opportunity to prove what they can do.

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