About Entrepreneurs Unlocked.
Our vision is to change futures through entrepreneurship.
This started back at the end of 2018, a few months before everyone was impacted by the global pandemic. Times were challenging, both for the organisation and the people we sought to help.
Being entrepreneurial has enabled the business to survive, and it looks to grow over the next 2 years and be able to support more people than ever. The number of people who have engaged in exploring their talent has risen from 123 people in year one, to almost 200 in years two and three. That’s over 500 people which is just mind-blowing.
The aim is to increase that this year to over 300 more people, through our digital offering and ongoing HMPPS contracts. Find out why I set up Entrepreneurs Unlocked below.
Most of you, like myself, will be fortunate enough to have never been in trouble with the police and come from a loving and supportive home. You’ll have stayed at school, completed your education and gone on to great things because you had a steady start in life.
Not everyone has had the same experience, and they will have become trapped in a cycle of offending. A criminal record will often be a barrier to a job, so self-employment and entrepreneurship could be the solution.
Why I Set Up Entrepreneurs Unlocked.
A career that started in corporate environments led to coaching and supporting people in further and higher education. While working for the largest prison education provider in England, I became the lead for enterprise and self-employment. As a result, I substantially increased the number of prisons that delivered workshops and courses that enabled learners to develop entrepreneurial skills. As a result, it was evident that many prison residents had the skills to be their boss.
Then, in 2018 I travelled to the USA, as part of my Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship, to research best practice entrepreneurship programmes in custody and the community. These programmes all had less than 10% reoffending rates, compared to the US average of over 60%. The learning and knowledge I gained helped to inform my practice, and the stories of hope and inspiration of the people I met gave me the catalyst to set up my own business at the end of 2019.
10 years of working with people in custody and the community have proven to me that there’s a huge pot of untapped entrepreneurial talent in the justice system. I truly believe those skills and mindset can change people’s lives, reduce reoffending and improve communities.
Our Network
Being a small organisation, having a strong network is essential to build a collaborative approach, so Entrepreneurs Unlocked is proud to have developed mutually beneficial relationships with organisations such as:
Federation of Small Businesses
The FSB provides a wealth of information, advice and networking opportunities across Greater Manchester and the rest of the UK. Being a member enables access to a wide range of services including legal, insurance, documentation and of course the ability to connect with other small businesses.
Being an active member enables us to engage in networking events, writing articles, giving mini-lectures and even having the opportunity of having a great video produced too.
Our Grant Funders
We are humbled to have been supported since the beginning of our CIC through grant funding provided by:
This has enabled to continue our services through the covid pandemic, develop a new digital learning platform, crowdfund to support people into construction, run business pitching events, provide tools and equipment to people setting up, strengthen our marketing and PR activities, develop and set up innovative business incubator.
We thank each and everyone for all they have done to enable us to help others.
Who We Work With
Courtesy of winning a procurement tender, we are commissioned by HMPPS to deliver our self-employment programme to 5 prisons in the Northwest, namely HMP Buckley Hall, Risely, Hindley, Thorn Cross and Liverpool.
We are commissioned to work with 200 people across these five prisons, and are on track to exceed these numbers over the duration of the contract. For those men identified as wanting to work in the construction sector (potentially as self-employed subcontractors) we work with our delivery partner Inside Connections to enable people to gain their GQA CSCS partner card to be site ready on release.
We also provide support to people on probation, with referrals coming from CF03 provider Achieve Northwest Connect, who operate across the Northwest.
With our partnership with: Momentic, we run masterclasses on self-employment at HMP Leyhill and Sudbury.
How We Have Helped
Since the beginning of 2022, as part of our work with people on probation, 20 people have been engaging with our community support.
- 40% have gone on to start up their business
- 15% have since found paid employment
- 25% are still being supported
- 20% decided not to pursue this opportunity, which is their prerogative
Achievements And Recognition
Amplifying the voice of people in prison and on probation who need help and support to lead crime free futures is something that Entrepreneurs Unlocked strives to achieve. One of the ways to promote entrepreneurship and its achievement is through peer recognition. Over the last 3 years, there have been a number of opportunities to highlight this.
We are proud to be that voice, and start conversations that lead to people changing their mindset about people with convictions and understanding the need for expert help and support.
Contact.
Please use the form below for all enquiries and bookings or call us on 01204 263002.