Building
Hope

When people can see what is possible, they gain the power to choose a different path - one built on hope.

Across our prisons, thousands of people want to work but lack access and connections.

At the same time, we have a massive skill shortage in UK construction.

By connecting these two realities, we can help people rebuild their lives while developing the skilled workforce our industry urgently needs.

Kevin Mullarkey

Construction Director

N43225. That was my prison number as a young adult. I’d failed at school and struggled with dyslexia. Decades later, I am sober, run a successful construction company with my sons, and have built a career in the industry I always wanted to be part of. But my journey was not straightforward.

When I entered prison at 18, I lost my electrical apprenticeship and the future I had planned. However, I remained determined to build a career in construction. I started as a labourer, learned the trade, progressed through the industry and eventually built my own business.

What is Building Hope?

Building Hope is a career rehearsal and relationship programme for prison inmates that begins in custody and ends with a real door into industry.

See the work → choose a pathway → connect with a person → rehearse the job → demonstrate readiness → work placement with someone already known.

Most prison education asks "what qualification do you want?" Building Hope asks different questions: “Who do you want to become?” and “What is the first paid opportunity?” Many people leaving custody have never actually seen what different careers look like day to day, so they cannot picture a future, and they disengage. Hope comes from seeing possibility and forming relationships.

Behind the Gates – remote career preparation, relationship building and occupational learning and assessment.
Beyond the Gates – access to the industry, work experience, mentoring and progression into employment.