Introduction

Apex Scotland has invested in the National Training Centre to ensure a commitment to their staff and customers in areas of business, staff development and client based services. The Centre therefore undertakes to accommodate internal and external needs and requirements and is structured to carry out the following activities at a strategic and operational level, as part of its remit:

	Learning & Development
	Health & Safety
	Business Excellence
	Research & Consultancy
	Client Module Development
	Administrative Support

National Training Centre services for employers and agencies

What we can offer

Questions we can answer

Rationale

Background

Benefits

Training & support

What we can offer:
 
As a support, guidance and training service, we aim to provide employers with the skills and knowledge that are required for the effective recruitment of potential employees who have a criminal record.

We offer specialist advice and awareness training (nationally) in the following areas:

The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

The Exclusions and Exceptions (Scotland) Order 2003

The Police Act 1997 (part v) - Basic, Standard and Enhanced disclosure certification

Questions we can answer:

What are spent convictions?

How do I know if my convictions are spent?

What questions can employers ask potential employees regarding their criminal convictions?

What are employees' rights?

How do employers assess the relevance of convictions?

How do you interpret conviction information?

How do employers decide what level of check to assess on applicants?

Can you dismiss an employee due to their convictions?

Can employers carry out retrospective checks?

What policies do employers need to have in place?

 It is important for key personnel to feel confident in their recruitment decisions. This means being aware of the current and future legislation that determines the recruitment of individual’s with a criminal record. It also includes good practice in dealing with disclosure of the criminal convictions from applicants.

Training on these issues and others can be delivered on a half day or full day basis.

The National Training Centre aims to create equality of access to employment for individuals with an unrelated criminal record, by working directly with agencies and employers in Scotland to provide models of good practice within the recruitment process and workplace.

Rationale

Based on the statistic that over 700,000 people in Scotland have a criminal record, it makes sense to have a recruitment strategy that is able to deal effectively with this issue. Areas for review are the disclosure of convictions and relevancy of conviction to position sought and the benefits of adopting a risk reduction policy for an organisation. The training raises awareness of these matters and allows key personnel to review their policies and procedures. It also allows for the development of effective guidelines for their recruitment staff that will establish equality of access to employment opportunities. 

Background

Informed Choice - Positive Recruitment
(Apex Scotland Employer Recruitment Training ASERT project - 1998-2000)

With the support of the European Community Apex Scotland was influential in providing a comprehensive recruitment strategy for employers to identify best practice in the recruitment of ex-offenders.
The employment sectors covered included the construction, manufacturing, financial, local authorities, hotel & catering, retail, voluntary and the health services with over 50 employers benefiting from Apex services.

This initiative has begun to establish fair and responsible policies and models of good practice that will enhance existing recruitment and human resource skills. As recruitment is a costly exercise for any organisation, the objective is to get it right first time and that includes addressing the issue of ex-offenders and criminal records within the recruitment process.

Employers have a significant role to play in the overall reduction of crime in our society.

Only by using effective policies and guidelines, can employers hope to reduce the risk of inappropriate recruitment and increase their pool of potential employees through informed choice.

Statistically, 1 in 4 males in Scotland has a criminal record before the age of 21. Ex-offender applicants are applying for jobs and being employed on a regular basis whether recruiters realise it or not. Through addressing employers' concerns surrounding the recruitment of ex-offenders we are encouraging and helping them to adopt anti discriminatory models of good practice. By adopting the Apex model of risk reduction, shown below, employers are able to identify relevant convictions and short list candidates appropriately.

In Scotland, help is at hand for employers to assist them in developing and maintaining their recruitment policies and practice as part of their business development, the continuous professional development of personnel and the progression of business excellence (quality & performance).

Training & Support

There are two key training subjects that the Apex Scotland National Training Centre offers employers:

Effective recruitment and interpreting criminal record information

A course targeted at key people involved in the employee recruitment and retention. It involves raising your awareness to the relevant disclosure legislation, the Scottish court system, disposals, conviction relevance, risk reduction, conviction disclosure and suggested good practice.

“Helped clarify my thinking on how we should take this forward internally” (Aberdeen University participant)

Working with offenders

This course is targeted at non statutory agencies who work with offenders, ex-offenders and young people at risk of offending. It provides an overview of the system that the offenders and ex offenders have become involved with. The course covers legal terms, phrases, requirements and compliance relevant to student/staff needs. For those attending it will assist to assimilate the information they will meet in the course of their day-to-day work.

“Excellent Course” (Careers Scotland participant)

The National Training Centre can also offer other stand-alone courses or access to courses on an infill basis* to employers and other agencies, enquiries should be made through the National Training Centre on 01382 525032.
* Subject to availability

Employers that the Apex National Training Centre has liased and, in some cases on a regular basis, worked with, include:

	Careers Scotland (Scotland wide)		Forth Sector
	Scottish Ambulance Service		Aberdeen University
	Greater Glasgow Health Board		Direct payments
	Lothian Youth Association		Continental Landscapes
	Phoenix House		Lanarkshire council
	Scottish Commission for Young people		Tayside Contracts
	West Lothian Adult Guidance Network		Strathclyde University
	Aberdeen Volunteer Centre		Dundee College
	Crewe 2000		Rathbone CI
	Other voluntary sector organisations registered with the CRBS to ensure they have effective Recruitment of Ex Offenders Policies in place, which is a requirement for registering with the CRBS.

In addition, employers and agencies can hire rooms and equipment within the National Training Centre to host any events or meetings. Our main room, the Edinburgh suite, can accommodate up to 40-theatre set up, 30 in workgroup set up or 20 in a boardroom or training set up. Other rooms include the Glasgow suite (10) and Blair suite (8). Room equipment includes data projector, computer, white board, flip charts, etc. hospitality and administration support is also available.

Tel: 01382 525032  Fax: 01382 525033

Email: duncang@apexscotland.org.uk / ntc@apexscotland.org.uk