Meet the AYJ Member: The Skill Mill
Millie Hall, Communications Assistant at the Alliance for Youth Justice, speaks to Andy Peaden, Director at The Skill Mill - one of AYJ’s newest members!
First, can you give a bit of background on how The Skill Mill came about?
It started in Newcastle with some colleagues of mine who worked at Newcastle Youth Offending Team, with the very novel idea of ‘wouldn't it be great if we could create some jobs for some young people to go in to?’ So, they decided that they would set up a business in the hope that they would be able to generate enough income to be able to employ young people that are in the justice system.
The young people we deal with are pretty much as far removed from the employment system as possible and have a massive disadvantage in terms of securing employment, and it was about trying to address some of those issues and create the right climate for young people to be able to get jobs.
One of the massive benefits of The Skill Mill is the fantastic reoffending rates from the programme and the premise that if you're able to create those opportunities for young people to get into work then it's going to improve their potential to turn their life around. And it really does work.
What do those reoffending rates look like?
It's around 9.5% at the moment. So, we've had 158 young people who have been through the books over the last 7 years that Skill Mill has been active, and only 15 of those 158 have reoffended.
The Skill Mill is able to make a difference with young people who are at the very top end of things. We target those young people where we’re going to be able to make the biggest difference - the ones whose level of disadvantage is greatest. That success rate, when you pitch it at that cohort of young people, it's just fantastic and I don't know anything else that comes close to being able to make that impact.
Your area of employment is in watercourse and horticulture services, and construction. Looking at your amazing reoffending rates, why do you think these areas of work are so impactful for young people?
What these range of different scenarios do is allows us to create the climate and learning opportunities for young people to be able to understand that they're simply able to do it - that they're able to hold down a job, and gain the self-confidence, self-efficacy, and self-esteem that comes with a job.
What’s also really important, is the value of identity. If you think about the way that we interact with people, a lot of it is defined by what you do for work, and who you are becomes defined to some extent by the profession you go into. If you're a young person in the justice system and you’ve had a number of different labels stamped on you then it’s not that easy to gain that alternative identity. The Skill Mill allows these young people to think of themselves in a different light, to be able to get that confidence in terms of being able to hold down a job, to enjoy it, and to make that shift in identity.
Are there any barriers you have to break in order for your programmes to be successful?
Sometimes it’s quite hard work. Sometimes there are fairly fundamental hurdles that the young people need to overcome, such as just getting out of bed in the morning! Sometimes young people need a bit of understanding that there are certain expectations that everybody will have, you know, turning up on time, being there, being reliable - all that sort of stuff is crucial.
There also seems to be a level of reluctance to employ these young people, and it is seen as a bit of a gamble. But I think that one of the core successes of The Skill Mill, and certainly what employers like and what our partners like, is the fact that the Skill Mill Supervisors soak up a lot of the 'risk' associated with employing young people in the justice system. It allows young people to still gain their skills and confidence to then move on and make positive changes in their lives. Sometimes we've had successes with young people who do want to work in construction and they move on down that path, but then others want to choose a different path but they still do so with that sense of purpose and direction that they may not have had in the first instance.
What are the general first impressions from the young people employed through The Skill Mill?
It varies. Often they come and they're very excited. One of the benefits that has developed over time is that in different Youth Offending Teams young people know about The Skill Mill and it's something that young people aspire to get involved with. I remember a young man who was very prolific and who hadn't been out of custody for that long but he was adamant that he was to get on to The Skill Mill at the next opportunity. He said he wasn't going to reoffend because he knew that the interviews were coming up, and they were about 7 weeks away at that point. It shows that a message had gotten through to him. I think it’s so fantastic that The Skill Mill is able to be that catalyst for young people to change their behaviour.
I’m sure this past year has come with its difficulties. How has the pandemic impacted your work?
Early doors the lockdown restrictions did make an impact and we furloughed a number of young people. There was also a bit of confusion the first time round in terms of what was permissible and what was not. Currently, there are some issues around the use of The Skill Mill van to transport the young people to the work site, so that's creating some challenges because previously we'd have all the young people and supervisors in one van, and obviously, with the social distancing advice, we've not been able to do that which is making our journeys a bit more complex as a result.
The training side of things is a bit more challenging as many young people don't have the right equipment to do their learning online. We know that's been a big issue across youth justice services nationally and there's very much a digital divide with those people who are able to get high-speed broadband and the kit to minimize the impact of things and so on. I think also if you're a more reluctant learner or being asked to be self-sufficient in your learning, is quite harder to achieve for some of the kids that we deal with.
It's easy to assume, but everyone's reality is very different. We can’t assume that everyone has a supportive home environment to enable learning. We've had some young people who have had to work quite hard to take advantage of the opportunities that the Skill Mill has given them.
What's coming next for The Skill Mill?
Well, we've got two new sites which have opened up recently, one in West Sussex and one in Northumberland. We're also in conversations with different partners in London to make the most of the development opportunities in the capital.
And finally, what does The Skill Mill hope for the future of youth justice?
I guess the ambition is to upscale the programme so that we can make more opportunities and to be able to make more of a difference. One of the things that has always driven me in my time in youth justice is seeing how difficult young people’s lives can be from mistakes they've made at a different point in their lives and the experiences that result in those mistakes. So, if you can try and create the climate to improve outcomes for young people and to reduce reoffending, and supporting them to turn their lives around, then it’s just a massive win-win for everybody.
In an ideal world, you wouldn't need a dedicated programme for young people in the justice system because there would be general opportunities for all young people to access, but we know that that’s not the case and we are very far removed. So, we do need that added focus and additional support and assistance for young people who are in these circumstances to be able to turn things around.
Keep up to date with The Skill Mill…
Website - www.theskillmill.org
Twitter - @The_Skill_Mill