Paul Roberts, chief executive of award-winning charity Aspire Oxford on why second chances are vital for a thriving community

IT’S no surprise to many of us that Oxford, so widely perceived as wealthy and privileged, is facing significant social problems.

Rising homelessness, high re-offending rates, entrenched poverty in East Oxford and high rates of crack and opiate use: a very different image to the picture-perfect city of dreaming spires.

But what if, with the right support, these complex issues could be turned into life-changing opportunities to the benefit of our whole community? They can, and they are.

Aspire Oxford is an employment charity and social enterprise that works with people facing severe disadvantage to help them build skills, training and work experience and find jobs.

Our clients may be vulnerable to homelessness, recovering from addiction or a spell of long-term unemployment.

They may have been in prison.

They may have left school with little self-confidence and few qualifications.

But they all have potential, and enabling their employment is a crucial first step towards tackling the social problems that currently blight our city.

Aspire’s 16 years’ experience supporting marginalised people into work shows us that people from disadvantaged groups can become some of a company’s best employees.

They go the extra mile to secure results, stay in a job for longer and have lower rates of absenteeism.

Plus there are significant benefits to community life: last year 99 per cent of Aspire’s clients with an offending history did not re-offend and 93 per cent maintained recovery from addiction.

Supporting disadvantaged groups to become work ready is meeting a pressing business need, too. Oxfordshire employers are facing a fast-growing recruitment crisis.

Employee retention is a big problem for Oxford employers offering entry level positions and low wages, given the sky high cost of housing and living.

The working age population is set to contract significantly over the next 10 years due to a rapidly ageing population and with Brexit there is likely to be reduced access to migrant labour.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realise supply and demand are moving quickly in opposite directions.

There is a solution, of course: by becoming more flexible in their recruitment, businesses can benefit from good quality, dedicated employees.

In April 2017, Aspire organised Oxford’s first ever business conference designed to help employers recruit ex-offenders and other disadvantaged groups.

The room was packed and the atmosphere buzzing: times are most definitely changing. Since then, we’ve worked with employers including Land Securities, Interserve, Midcounties Co-operative and Pret a Manger to help them meet their recruitment needs and give our clients the chances they deserve.

Ten of Aspire’s clients are now in full-time employment in the Westgate Shopping Centre: some of whom were homeless just one year ago.

This ground-breaking work continues, and planning for the 2018 Employers’ Conference is in full swing.

Aspire Oxford exists to champion the rights of people at the margins of society – those who often don’t have a voice. We help them to overcome unimaginable adversity and change their lives, for good. Quite simply, everyone has the capacity to be remarkable – and second chances are making a lasting difference across our community.

To find out more about Aspire Oxford and our social recruitment service launching 2018 please visit aspireoxford.co.uk