The Skills Gap: Why Lived Experience Is an Underrated Asset

“We just can’t find the right people.” 

It’s a phrase echoing across industries, from construction and logistics to care and admin. Employers cite skills shortages as the reason for unfilled vacancies, increasing pressure and limiting growth. But sometimes the issue isn’t supply; it’s perception.

Skills Don’t Always Look Like Certificates

Prison leavers often have skills developed informally or in ways that don’t fit a conventional CV, from leadership within structured prison teams, to logistics planning through rehabilitation programs, or even technical training through prison education. These are real competencies that too many employers ignore, and that’s not just unfair, it’s inefficient.

There are thousands of skilled candidates with criminal records actively seeking employment. Not because they’re desperate, but because they want to contribute. Yet automatic rejection policies, outdated vetting systems, and fear-based hiring prevent access.

Fair Chance Employment flips the model. It starts with possibility, not prejudice, and when prison leavers are given a platform, their skills show up in performance, not just paperwork.

Reducing Reoffending by Redefining Skill

Secure employment is one of the strongest predictors of successful reintegration, and recognising informal or unconventional skills isn’t just inclusive, it’s preventative.

When prison leavers feel their experience is valid and valuable, they build confidence, autonomy, and accountability. That changes lives and it changes outcomes.

The skills gap becomes a skills opportunity. One company who is doing this well is Keir Group who hire directly from prison, and who have found loyal, hardworking, and proficient employees via this hiring route.

What You Can Do To Improve Inclusive Hiring

• Adjust recruitment filters: Don’t disqualify candidates based on absence of traditional experience.

• Use skills-based assessments: Focus on problem-solving, communication, and leadership.

• Offer mentoring and upskilling: Give candidates room to grow, not just prove.

• Partner with training bodies inside prisons: Create pipelines for hiring with intent.

If your vacancy’s been open for six months, maybe the issue isn’t supply, it’s your filters.

If someone’s skills are invisible to your systems, is it really a shortage, or a missed opportunity?