From Nestlé to Nespresso to Redion: how Bocconi helps prisoners find work (and graduate)

In some companies, meetings involving the entire staff were held prior to the work placements. This was to overcome prejudices surrounding prison and explain the importance of a rehabilitation programme. Then, once the taboo had been broken, the new arrivals simply became colleagues like any others. What’s more, they were Bocconi graduates – and no longer simply prisoners. From Nespresso to Redion (part of the Generali Group) to Nestlé, companies are seeking – and sometimes finding – the right candidates, even amongst those serving a sentence. This is partly thanks to Bocconi University’s prison project; six prisoners, or now ex-prisoners, have graduated in business administration and management and have permanent jobs; 17 are completing their studies, whilst 10 have dropped out (sometimes having to do so) following their transfer to a prison outside Milan. But ten years on from the launch of the initiative at the Milanese university, one aspect in particular is clear. That ‘if a person’s CV includes not only years spent in prison, but also a degree from Bocconi and a job at a major company, it changes not only the skills acquired, but also the level of trust and the possibility of breaking down prejudices and mistrust’. For Marta Cartabia, Vice-Rector for Social Engagement and Institutional Affairs, what makes the difference for an imprisoned student is the assurance that ‘Bocconi supports them right through to their first job, not just to graduation. Many universities have even more students within the prison population, but guiding them all the way to entering the world of work is an added value’.

Like all other students enrolled at Bocconi, prisoners must first pass an entrance exam (successful candidates are awarded a scholarship); they then prepare for their exams using books and video recordings provided by the university (as they are unable to attend lectures in person and do not have access to the internet). And the university sends lecturers to the prisons in Opera or Bollate for the exam sessions. “After passing my first few exams, I suspected that the course had been made easier for us. Then I had to retake Economic History five times and realised that wasn’t the case,” admits Mattia, who now works at Nespresso following an internship at Nestlé.

There are currently four Nespresso employees who have served time in prison: “They are coffee specialists and sales staff in Rome, Genoa and Milan,” says Simona Liguoro, the company’s head of human resources. “Before taking on a new employee with this sort of background – first on a paid work placement, then potentially on a permanent contract – we explain the prison environment to the teams, as it is unfamiliar to most people. With the help of prison staff, we try to overcome certain reservations. We explain that these people, most of whom have served their sentences, have already paid their debt to society, and we try to create the best possible conditions to welcome our new colleague.” Nespresso has taken on around ten such individuals in the last five years, not only through Bocconi but also via the Seconda Chance association or through its own agreements, in particular with the prison in Monza.

“People who have faced challenging life experiences often possess an extraordinary capacity for adaptability, resilience and determination – qualities that enrich teams,” reflects Giacomo Piantoni, Head of Human Resources at the Nestlé Group. “In line with our commitment to inclusion and the promotion of diversity,” he adds, “at Nestlé we support initiatives that help people with a history of imprisonment re-enter the world of work. Inclusion is a process of mutual enrichment.”

Among the difficulties reported by several companies is the challenge of reconciling organisational needs – ‘even just drawing up work rota’, they say – with those of the prison service and a certain degree of unpredictability.