Positive action programmes


Our prison engagement and employment programme
Since 2013, our prison engagement programme (Making Ground) has been helping people with lived experience of the criminal justice system find stable jobs in the construction industry.
We aim to find, train and support people to build lasting careers in our industry. Working with prisons helps us connect with individuals seeking new opportunities. Through Making Ground, we offer training, job search guidance, CV workshops and career advice to people in custody, giving them the tools they need to succeed after release. Making Ground also promotes positive hiring practices. As a Ban the Box employer, we don’t ask about criminal convictions unless a security check is needed. We will not ask about convictions until after we’ve made a verbal job offer.
Find your next role at Kier
We have a range of options for employment including Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL), permanent employment directly with Kier or through supply chain and temporary contracts.
We have provided information, advice and guidance throughout this page to support you through our recruitment process, whether you’re looking for yourself, a family member or you’re an employment lead within a prison.

Roles

Trades and operatives
Keep your local community safe, clean and thriving in one of our hands-on operative roles.

Commercial and project management
In one of our commercial roles, you’ll use your skills and expertise to keep our projects safe, efficient and innovative.

Corporate functions
Find your new role in one of our HR, finance, procurement, legal, communications or IT teams.

Engineering and design
Design, innovate and create award-winning projects, solving problems as they arise and leave a lasting legacy.

Apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships
Earn as you learn whilst studying an apprenticeship at Kier, starting from Level 2 through to degree.

Graduates and placements
Put your degree into action with one of our graduate or placement schemes.
What's the application process?

Have a look at our vacancies and if you find a role suitable to you, apply online.

Our recruiters will review your application and if you match the criteria listed on the job advert, you’ll be added to a shortlist for our hiring managers.

If the hiring manager would like to speak with you, you’ll be invited to an interview. If you’re currently serving a sentence, we’ll manage this through your prison employment lead.

Some roles may require a secondary stage interview. If you’re successful after that, we’ll give you a call with the good news and details about your new role. We may need to do some additional paperwork with you depending on the role, but this will be made clear to you at the point of offer.

We’ll follow up our verbal offer with a formal written offer and an agreed start date for you.
Hints and tips

1. When applying for a role, make sure you take a look at the essential requirements section. If you meet most of these, ensure they’re mentioned on your CV so our recruiters can quickly identify that you’re suitable for the role.
2. We’ll never ask you to disclose any convictions within an interview – if you’re asked why there is a gap in your CV, it’s perfectly acceptable to say ‘my personal circumstances at the time meant that I needed to step away from work’.


3. Do your research, show that you're motivated by the opportunity and align your answers to our business values and vision.
FAQs
All candidates with convictions are invited to apply for our roles, and if the role does not require a DBS check (this would be listed on the job advert) then we will never ask you to disclose any unspent convictions at any stage of the application process.
Due to the nature of some of our projects and sites, there can be times where we are unable to offer a candidate the role due to their conviction, but every situation is treated on a case-by-case basis so this should not discourage you from applying.
In order to gain an understanding of you and your experience, recruiters and hiring managers may notice a gap in your CV and ask about this. Do not worry, you do not need to disclose any details and a simple response such as ‘my personal circumstances at the time meant I needed to step away from work’ is a sufficient answer.
Some of our clients require those working on their sites to undertake security vetting. If these clearances are required for the role, this will be highlighted in the job advert.
The outcome of this check would depend on client requirements, the work to be undertaken and the nature of the unspent conviction. We wouldn’t be able to confirm before the check is carried out if the clearance would be approved or not.
If the role you’re offered requires a DBS and we ask if you have a conviction, it’s important for you to be honest. You’ll then be contacted by our diversity and inclusion team to arrange a suitable time to conduct an assessment which will include:
- disclosing your conviction(s) and the circumstances around them
- discussing what support you have at present
- us telling you what we can do to support you through your career at Kier
We conduct the assessment to ensure we’re not putting you at risk of potentially breaching licence conditions.
The assessment is then sent off for approval, if there’s any issues with the assessment being approved, we’ll contact you to discuss and advise whether we can offer you an alternative role.
Please contact us via the Kier Chatbot at the bottom of your screen.