Televerde Partnership with UK Ministry of Justice & HMP Styal in England

Televerde Announces Partnership with the UK Ministry of Justice and Expands Its Prison Workforce Development Program Internationally to Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP) Styal in England

Partnership with Her Majesty’s Prison Will Provide Jobs, Skills Training, and Marketing Technology Certification to Females in Prison, Leading to Career Opportunities Upon Reentry

Phoenix, AZ – June 28, 2020 – To help contribute to a more just and equitable world, business and government must be proactive and provide opportunities for all people, regardless of background or circumstance. By upskilling and reskilling and eliminating barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups in the global labor force, countries can reduce racial, ethnic, health, and socioeconomic disparities and build an inclusive world economy. 

Televerde, the preferred global revenue creation partner supporting marketing, sales, and customer success for B2B businesses around the world, today announced its partnership with the UK Ministry of Justice (MOJ) with the expansion of its prison to workforce development program to Her Majesty’s Prison Styal (HMP Styal) in Wilmslow, Cheshire, England. This expansion is an extension of Televerde’s European Headquarters in Glasgow, Scotland, which was opened in 2016. HMP Styal is Televerde’s first European engagement center that is staffed entirely by female prisoners and its ninth prison-run center globally.

With this new European-based engagement center, Televerde will expand its outbound and inbound sales and marketing solutions across Europe. The women employed by Televerde at HMP Styal will partner with and directly support some of the most recognizable global names in business today, building both experience and a professional network that will increase their marketability and provide a clear advantage over others in the hiring process when they are released from prison.

The MOJ is a major government department at the heart of the United Kingdom justice system. The organization works to protect and advance the principles of justice and to deliver a world-class justice system that works for everyone in society. There are 121 prisons across England and Wales. HMP Styal in Wilmslow, Cheshire is a prison and young offender institution (YOI) for women aged 18 and over. Currently, there are about 400 women living in the facility. The Televerde engagement center at Styal will employ 20 women at that facility with the goal of expanding the Televerde brand into other locations within the HMP system in the near future so more women have opportunity to build meaningful careers and successfully reenter their communities.

The New Futures Network (NFN) is the specialist part of the UK prison service that brokers partnerships between prisons and employers. The NFN team of Regional Employment Brokers work across English and Welsh prisons to support businesses including Televerde and to establish job opportunities for serving prisoners and prison leavers.

As a pioneer in second-chance employment, Televerde has employed more than 3,000 female prisoners in the United States, with 94 percent advancing into professional career positions in sales, marketing and technology fields. The women employed as part of Televerde’s prison workforce development program are compensated fairly and receive on-the-job training in the art of sales and marketing, business acumen, in-demand marketing technologies (Salesforce, Eloqua, Marketo, et al), IT, and all other areas in business. They also have full access to a complete suite of services necessary for successful reentry and career development offered through the nonprofit organization, Televerde Foundation.

Televerde has experienced the overwhelming business, social and economic benefits of employing individuals with a criminal background. The success of their model was recently documented in a study by the Arizona State University Seidman Research Institute. The results reveal that participants of Televerde’s program go on to attain employment, earnings, and education at higher rates and reoffend at significantly lower rates than other females released from prison in the United States. The full study can be accessed here.

Quotes

“Many of the women arriving at HMP Styal have never had a job, and therefore, do not have the work ethic employment provides. By providing them with these work opportunities, such as the Televerde business centre, it allows them to gain skills employers are looking for on release. We know from experience that this reduces the chances of a woman re-offending, which benefits the woman and her family, as well as society as a whole.” — Michelle Quirke, HMP Styal governor 

“We are pleased to have been involved in partnering Televerde and HMP Styal and look forward to celebrating the future successes of the women selected for the placements.” — Zeki Bekir, national sector lead, New Futures Network

“At Xactly, we select partners that align with our core values and support innovative diversity and inclusion principles and practices. Televerde is a leader in this space, which is one of the reasons why we chose the company to help us transform the customer experience. I am delighted to see the international expansion of Televerde’s prison-run operations in the United Kingdom. Providing skills training and opportunity to females while in prison – a community of talent too often discarded — is so important. Businesses must do a much better job of giving individuals with a criminal background a second chance and supporting their reentry into our global workforce, communities, and local economies. I look forward to visiting HM Prison Styal in Cheshire to get to know the talented women who will be working on our campaign and to learn how we can further support their journey of transformation.” — Jamie Anderson, chief sales officer, Xactly Corporation.

“As a long-time Televerde client, the quality and depth of knowledge and deliverables that the team provides has grown over time and enables them to perform at far higher levels, validating the benefits of outsourcing sales and marketing programs to the right partner to help achieve revenue goals. As a technology leader I understand the importance and need for companies to create value for society. One way we can do this is by building partnerships with purpose to achieve business goals, whilst also helping to create a more just, fair and equitable world. I believe so strongly in the mission of Televerde that I’ve also made a personal commitment of time and resource to Televerde’s non-profit arm, Televerde Foundation, to help ensure the women have access to a full suite of personal and professional services so they can successfully reenter society. I am excited that Televerde is taking its proven business model to the United Kingdom so that more women can reclaim their independence and rebuild their lives. I look forward to being a part of this work and to visiting the engagement center and seeing in person how the women in HMP Styal transform and grow in their careers and personal lives.” – Genefa Murphy, Chief Marketing Officer, Five9

“In an era of much-needed social change, business and government must be willing to come together to bridge the economic divide and create a new world economy that builds prosperity for all, including individuals with a criminal background. With HMP Styal, we have found a partner with whom we very closely align in thinking and approach and will work with them to ensure that women get the skills they need in order to rebuild their lives and successfully transition back into society. With Televerde’s business expanding, we are delighted to open the center so we can provide stronger experiences, deliver more value, and accelerate success for our clients in the United Kingdom and beyond.” — Morag Lucey, chief executive officer, Televerde

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