The project’s objectives included: 1. A replicable process to enhance prison services and private industries’ collaboration to create and implement effective procedures for inmates’ employment. 2. A model of guidance, training and insertion (GTI) based on a collaborative approach between prison services and private industries, which would enhance the development of the career plan; the model included continuous learning, job qualification and employers’ preparation for the recruitment of inmates after release, tested with 36 inmates per participant country. 3. An induction training standard to be provided to inmates’ willing to acquire new competencies necessary to be employed in a specific economy industry and testing it with 36 inmates per participant country; and 4. A training of trainer’s course on setting up and managing STEP2LAB processes and models, deliverable to prison and private industries staff.
Recidivism, or the relapse into criminal behaviour, remains a significant issue in Europe, with rates reaching up to 59% in some countries (Fazel & Wolf, 2015). Former inmates face a higher risk of reoffending, contributing to societal crime and violence (Anderson & Skardhamar, 2014). Research highlights the benefits of prison work in aiding reintegration and reducing recidivism (Alós et al., 2014), but it must focus on developing relevant skills for industries with labour shortages (Society for Human Resource Management, 2019). The STEP2Lab project builds on these insights by targeting young inmates nearing release, prison staff, and professionals from private organisations. It provides a capacity-building package aimed at creating a sustainable prison work strategy tailored to each country's needs, including continuous improvement protocols, employer cooperation, and standardized training aligned with labour market demands. STEP2Lab addresses barriers like bureaucracy, hostile environments, and lack of regulations (Cané, 2016), while also filling the gap in vocational programs, helping align inmate training with industrial needs and promoting successful reintegration and industrial productivity.