Offenders employment prospects are set to be boosted through the Highlands and Islands launch of the Scottish Offenders Employment Forum (SOEF) and Framework Document. The event took place today at the APEX Highland Employment Unit in Inverness, with a video link to the Scottish launch at HMP Barlinnie.

The Forum was set up in February last year to establish and implement a multi-agency approach to improving the employability of offenders through education, training and other opportunities.

One of the forum's first tasks has been the preparation of a framework document, which sets out national targets for the development of local collaborative arrangements. These are being formed between statutory and voluntary agencies and are designed to assist unemployed offenders back into work, or to find them a suitable training or educational opportunity.

The SOEF includes representation from a wide range of bodies including Highland and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Employment Services, APEX Scotland, the Association of Directors of Social Work, the Benefits Agency, CoSLA, Scottish Prison Service, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Executive.

Bob Shanks, skills development manager at HIE said: "We are pleased to be able to work in partnership with these other organisations to assist offenders back into the community and where possible, into employment. It is not always easy, however by working together we can maximise our efforts and ensure that the range of opportunities provided offer a real chance for the participants to secure a positive future."

Two 'New Futures' participants from Caithness also received their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh awards at today's Highland launch of the SOEF. Jonathan and David gained their awards through Caithness and Sutherland Enterprises' 'New Futures' programme, an initiative targeting those who have had initial difficulty in securing an opportunity in one of the mainstream programmes for training and education programmes.