See my earlier update here:

Daniel mentioned that he had always been interested in IT and computers when I met him at Brinsford and that he had even enrolled on a Microsoft course at one point. Once he arrived at the open prison we got together with some of the Outsourcery team to talk about his future and his options within the IT industry and perhaps even within Outsourcery.

Talking about careers at Brinsford YOI

It took some organising over several months and wading through red tape and ‘the system’, but we eventually managed to organise a full-time work experience for Daniel in our support team. Given that the criminal justice system is supposed to help young offenders to find gainful employment and beome productive members of society, they certainly don’t make it easy.

As I suspected when I first met him, Daniel has proven to be a likeble, hard working, intelligent and capable individual. Following his recent release and successful interview process by several members of the Outsorucery team, I am really pleased that Daniel has now joined Outsourcery as a ‘Customer & Partner Support Executive’. This start should lead to technical and/or project management qualifications and could lead to a career in technical support, engineering, pre-sales or sales within Outsourcery.

Everyone has been impressed with Daniel and he is a fantastic reminder that everyone deserves a second chance, especially capable young people that have made a mistake.

I’ve had quite a few people asking me for an update on Daniel and Robert since the show was recorded.

Daniel

Daniel was moved to an open and low security prison after the show was filmed. This is the result of his good behaviour. It also means that he is able to leave the prison for periods of time that will be extended over time from a day to a whole working week.

Having had conversations with Daniel and his mum on the phone, it was great to finally meet his family on the weekend of the royal wedding. I took Daniel, his mum, auntie and grandfather out to lunch. Daniel’s mum has clearly had a tough time as her only son messed up, but his whole family has stuck by him. It was the first time Daniel had been outside prison in two and half years and we discussed how, sadly, many prisoners feel more comfortable inside where they are looked after, can become institutionalised and lose their confidence. We also had a private chat about his aspirations and have the foundations of a plan.

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Channel 4's 'The Secret Millionaire'

It is not easy to convey a rather personal experience that took 10 days and over 80 hours of footage to capture; an experience that will only be complete once I have seen the final programme myself, which will not be before it is transmitted next Tuesday at 9pm on Channel 4.

If you are not familiar with the programme, take a look at the Channel 4 web site and my Q&A about why I took part in the programme. I am the first male to appear on the programme with any African or Caribbean heritage.

Many people ask whether the experience is ‘as shown on TV’ in terms of the accommodation, budget and the process of deciding who to ‘help’. Is it for real? I can assure you that it is. It’s a journey. A personal journey that you embark on without contact with family or friends (or business partners) to alter the trajectory of your thinking. You do clearly have a team of five or so profesionals with you twelve hours a day with a project to deliver, but each new day brought a surprise. Realising that my budget equated to £8 per day for food, utility bills, phone bills, entertainment and travel was both alarming and a reminder of the financial pressures faced by many for many reasons.

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