Procure Plus extends work with probation trusts

Trafford-based public housing consortium, Procure Plus, has been given preferred supplier status by the Ministry of Justice to help ex-offenders find jobs and establish businesses.

The two-year agreement follows Procure Plus' successful delivery of several employment and training initiatives for ex-offenders in partnership with Achieve North West, a group of five regional probation trusts.

Fiona Sharp, regeneration manager at Procure Plus, said: "Our commitment to communities goes far beyond bricks and mortar, so over the past three years we've worked hard with housing providers and organisations such as Achieve North West to create more sustainable job opportunities and provide mentor support.

"By focusing our work on delivering tangible outcomes – whether that's long-term employment or apprenticeships and training – we've helped a number of people break the cycle of crime and anti-social behaviour, which naturally has benefits for the wider community too.

"Now we've been confirmed as a preferred supplier, we'll be able to work more closely with organisations like Achieve North West and the National Offender Management Service to access funding to develop new projects and initiatives that will really make a difference to the region."

Procure Plus has helped its members set up social enterprises designed to support prolific and other priority offenders. Through this work, the organisation has helped 115 ex-offenders get back into more sustainable employment, an achievement that was instrumental in it being awarded preferred supplier status.