Further Reading

When he joined us over five years ago, Emanuel* was our first day-release trainee. Climbing the ranks, Emanuel worked for several years as a manager at Tap Social, and it is no exaggeration to say it was impossible to imagine the organisation without him during this time.  ABOUT ME I am a Black British man who grew up in North London; my childhood was affected by the impact of gang culture and city life. I think it is important that people with my kind of life experiences be centrally involved in these kinds of projects, as my lived experience of the issues gives me a unique insight. MY TIME AT TAP When I went to a...

Employment Advisory Boards (EABs) were introduced in late 2021 to harness the power of local business leaders, working in partnership with prison governors, to create employment opportunities for prison leavers. With the goal of creating a new EAB for every prison in the country that releases people back into the community, this programme looks to business and industry networks to identify and secure permanent paid employment opportunities for prison leavers.   “The combination of high demand in the labour market—due to factors including Brexit and the pandemic—with an increased willingness amongst employers to consider non-traditional recruitment pathways presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the opportunities...

The big value that I found with Tap was to be around normal people. I didn’t fit into the prison culture as I didn’t set out to be a criminal. I found them to be very supportive and trusting – something at the time I was not used to. 

Jay joined Tap Social on day release whilst still serving his sentence. Jay stayed with Tap for over three years before moving to London to set up his own business. He remains a valued ambassador for Tap Social, speaking regularly at events and sitting on our Advisory Board.