Each of the Unpaid Work units in Derbyshire actively seek projects that provide opportunities for offenders to learn new skills that will improve their chances of finding employment or training. The Unpaid Work units in Derby and Chesterfield, and around the county, are forming educational links with local colleges.

A Probation initiative with Derby College delivers Guided Skills Learning (GSL) in horticulture to offenders undertaking hours of Unpaid Work.

Finding a job has been shown to reduce the likelihood of an unemployed offender committing further crimes.

There are three workshops that produce garden furniture etc to order rather than selling items through charity shops.

PROJECT REVIEW: GROUNDWORK TRUST
Groundwork Trust works to promote the use of green spaces, within local communities and schools - and encourages residents and school children to become involved in environmental projects.

The Unpaid Work partnership with Groundwork Trust has involved teams of offenders:

• preparing re-claimed land at the Stoney Cloud Nature Reserve in Sandiacre for tree planting, and
• carrying out footpath maintenance, tidying and cutting back excessive growth as well as clearing litter at Fox Covert near Long Eaton.

The trust has also commissioned the construction of a 'boardwalk' to be laid across a natural wetland area in the grounds of a local school. The construction process is taking place at the Derby city workshop and will be built to Scottish Countryside Conservation standards. The 'boardwalk' will be wheelchair friendly and be suitable for pond dipping access.

In the past Groundwork Trust has asked the Derby city workshop to make garden benches, and help construct outside work areas for schools.

PROJECT REVIEW: ALDERBROOK PROJECT
The Alderbrook Project in Chinley is a centre for people with disabilities. The partnership project took root in 1999, when the Unpaid Work team in Buxton developed an area of land into a thriving allotment that provides an additional facility for the day centre users, and produces saleable fruit, vegetables and flowers to help fund centre activities.

The project flourished and a green house and poly tunnel were constructed on the site, which created facilities to grow produce from seeds and cuttings. The supervised offenders are also able to work in wet weather conditions. The majority of the work is carried out at weekends, when the centre is closed, and only small, selected teams occasionally work during the week at the site.

Further working developments have seen the Unpaid Work teams laying footpaths and paving, creating patio areas, and using the centre's wood workshop to produce benches, planters and bird boxes for sale at Alderbrook.

More recently supervised offenders have created a wildlife garden for the centre. The project was entered in the Derbyshire County Council's Greenwatch Awards competition, and won the Environment Agency Award for Best Overall Project for Sustainability, as well as a Commendation in the Farming and Landscape Management category.