With current reoffending rates on the rise, prison leavers are facing neglect when seeking to reintegrate into society due to insufficient digital skills, according to the Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA).

Government statistics reveal that the criminal reoffending rate is currently at 26 per cent, and has increased since 2021. The DPA believes that schemes like Tech4PrisonLeavers would largely decrease reoffending rates by providing ex-offenders with essential skills to make them an asset to society and employers.

The DPA highlights a pressing need for all bodies to provide support and training to help ex-offenders secure employment, with digital skills proving to be a critical factor in this struggle, whilst also calling on government to ensure that prisons provide suitable access to digital skills and modern technology prior to release.

Elizabeth Anderson, CEO, Digital Poverty Alliance said: “The Tech4PrisonLeavers initiative represents a transformative step towards breaking the cycle of reoffending by directly addressing the digital disconnect experienced by many prison leavers.”

“By equipping them with essential digital skills, we open up a realm of employment opportunities previously out of reach, fostering not only economic independence but also boosting confidence and empowerment. Ex-offenders are often left feeling neglected in the workplace, but this holistic approach doesn’t just benefit individuals; it influences broader systemic changes, making our society more inclusive and reducing the likelihood that individuals will return to prison.”

The DPA launched the Tech4PrisonLeavers pilot project and enrolled a total of 23 men who took digital and literacy surveys and 11 of which completed psychological scale surveys. Results revealed that five prison leavers secured employment within [time period], and 35 landed mock interviews with potential employers, resulting in requests for CV submissions.

The psychological surveys evaluated the wellbeing, competence and aspirations of the candidates and the results revealed an improvement in participants well-being throughout the project. Tech4PrisonsLeavers enhanced feelings of competence regarding future employment, heightened aspirations for personal growth and improved self-assessed digital literacy.

Throughout the programme there were online virtual workshops entailing CV preparation and mini courses on digital awareness, safety and ethics available to participants who received digital badges upon completing a certain number of courses. The programme was designed to meet unique needs of prison leaders and help them be released from the digital divide.

Tech4PrisonLeavers overall outcome was considered as a notable success in several areas, as the project focused on digital literacy which is a key factor in reducing recidivism.

The dynamics of office space preferences have shifted dramatically in recent years, with business parks experiencing significant vacancies as companies prioritise city centre locations to accommodate their workforce’s evolving needs.

Despite initial expectations that business parks would gain popularity due to pandemic-induced concerns about public transport, the opposite has occurred. The desire for vibrancy and social interaction found in city centers has driven companies and their employees away from suburban business parks.

This trend reflects a broader “flight to quality” observed in the commercial property market, where businesses increasingly prioritize modern, eco-friendly office spaces in urban environments. In contrast, secondary buildings on the outskirts struggle to attract tenants.

“One line of thought in the early days of the pandemic was that business parks would become more popular as office workers sought to avoid public transport,” Grant Lonsdale, director of market analytics at CoStar, said. “The opposite became true as the threat of the virus receded and businesses and their workers sought vibrancy and social contact provided by city centres.”

Agents have talked repeatedly about a “flight to quality” over recent years, with companies demanding modern, eco-friendly sites in city centres and being happy to pay extra for those buildings. By contrast, there has been a struggle to lease space in “secondary” buildings on the outskirts of towns and cities.

“Demand [for business parks] has waned from occupiers because they need to go back into towns and city centres in order to compete for the employees,” the boss of one commercial property group said. “People don’t want to work in business parks. They want [to work] somewhere they’ll have a choice of Itsu or Pret or Starbucks.”

Business parks, a concept originating from the US and introduced in the UK during the 1980s, are now grappling with high vacancy rates. Even established parks like Aztec West near Bristol have significant available space, with vacancy rates reaching up to 30% in the past decade.

The evolving preference for city center locations underscores the importance of providing a vibrant and convenient work environment to attract and retain talent, reflecting changing expectations among employees regarding their workplace experiences.

Tech-enabled childcare startup, tiney.co, set up by the founder of Teach First, has raised a £7.2m ($9m) Series A round led by Mustard Seed Partners and joined by PortfoLion, Sparkmind, and Rubio.

Tiney recruits, trains, and supports ‘micro-entrepreneurs’ to retrain as childminders and open childcare settings at home; helping to meet the acute demand for affordable, high-quality early years education across England.

Nearly half of parents in England have reported borrowing money or using savings to cover childcare costs in the last year. Faced with escalating fees, 1 in 10 mothers have exited the workforce. At the same time, nursery closures increased by 50% in 2023, as providers struggle to cover their own costs. The team behind tiney believes reinvigorating the childminding market could solve this crisis.

Thanks to the comparatively low overheads involved in running a childminding setting, tiney childminders are able to offer the highest-quality early years care at an affordable rate for parents (childminding is 15% cheaper than nursery, on average). And, at the same time, also run a successful business. Early years professionals registered with tiney earn 17% more than those registered directly with Ofsted, on average, with most earning at least the equivalent of a  teacher’s income.

Founded in 2019 by Teach First founder Brett Wigdortz OBE, Graze co-founder Edd Read, and design entrepreneur John Newbold, tiney has rapidly grown to become the largest childminder agency in England. With over 1,000 childminders registered and hundreds more currently in training, the tiney community currently provides early years education to more than 5,400 children across England. This makes the company the equivalent of the 7th largest nursery chain in the country.

Since launch, tiney has recruited a new generation of diverse talent into the childcare sector. In 2023, 42% of tiney’s recruits came from non-education related backgrounds, including law, dentistry, retail, design, and finance. Tiney was responsible for recruiting more than 40% of all new childminders in England in the second half of 2023.

With loneliness and a perception that childminding is a low-status profession being commonly cited reasons for childminders leaving the sector, tiney has designed tech-led support structures which foster community and an app which eliminates the administrative burdens of running a childcare business. This includes processing invoices, handling taxes, and ensuring they remain compliant with Ofsted regulation. Childminders can also access marketing support, business advice, lesson plans, peer support, and advice from the tiney team, all through the app. Parents are also able to book childcare, make payments, and monitor their child’s development through the tech.

Brett Wigdortz, CEO of tiney and founder of TeachFirst, comments: “The first years of a child’s development are absolutely crucial for shaping their long-term educational trajectory. Early years educators play an enormous role in this, but astronomical costs and provider shortages have robbed too many families of access to high quality care.

“That’s why we’re working to reverse the decline in childminder numbers – the most affordable form of childcare – and champion those who want to pursue a hugely rewarding role. Our success is proof that there’s a huge appetite for careers in early years when the right support is on offer. We’re finding the next generation of childminders and securing the futures of the next generation of children.”

This raise brings tiney’s total funding to date to £19m. With this new funding, tiney wants to cement its position as the largest recruiter of childminders nationwide, reverse the nationwide decline in childminding numbers, and offer more parents across the country affordable, local care in a home-from-home environment.

Stanislas de Joussineau, Co-Managing Partner at Mustard Seed Partners comments: “Solving the childcare crisis will have huge benefits for the next generation, as well as the wider economy. We believe that tiney is already demonstrating the impact that cutting-edge technology combined with a passion to improve early years can have. They are single-handedly driving up childminder numbers across England and attracting a whole new cohort of talent into the early years space. We’re looking forward to partnering with them as they continue to scale.”