B@ck at work

Reintegration of (ex)-offenders on the labour market is a very important but difficult task. The importance of employment  in order to increasing the social participation and to reduce re-offending is widely acknowledged. The gap between detention and employment is however very steep.  

• Ex-offenders  in generally have poor educational and skill levels and  are disproportional composed of minorities and anther  vulnerable groups.
• Ex-offenders have an negative image. There are a lot prejudices that withhold employers and organizations to hire ex-offenders.  Because ex-offenders are perceived to be a security risk, employers avoid hiring them. They also face labour market resistance to their employment, such as government services and many licensed occupations.
• The communication between all the stakeholders concerning the employment of the (ex)-offender is complex and restricted to many rules (example privacy).

There’s a need for labour market oriented programs and strategies that improve the employability and reducing the recidivism of offenders and ex-offenders. Programs and strategies designed to close the gap between detention and employment.
 A transnational cooperation where knowledge and good practices are exchanged can lead to  new efficient and improved program for offenders and ex-offenders. We want to explore the role of social economy as stakeholder in the reintegration of (ex)-offenders.  Social economy as an employer but also as designer and executer of labour market oriented programs.
 We want to focus on the added value that social economy can create in the development of skills and competences . Alternatief vzw uses a wide range of instrument to empower vulnerable groups and improve their employability. Examples are: training targeted at the labour market , coaching during work-experience, in-house employment and career guidance.