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How Take2 Is Changing Lives After Prison: Cameron Smith’s Mission
Cameron Smith explains how Take2 gives people who have been through the justice system a second chance through a three-year tech training and employment program, starting inside prison walls.
About the guest
Cameron Smith
Founder of Take2
Cameron Smith founded Take2 after a career in recruitment and investment where he repeatedly saw qualified candidates rejected for having a criminal conviction. Raised by a single mother in a small New Zealand farming town on $40,000 a year, Cameron saw the gap between society’s demand for ex-offenders to be productive and its refusal to employ them. Take2 has been running for close to five years and is now expanding from New Zealand into Australia.
Episode overview
Cameron Smith joins Steve Grace for a conversation about building Take2, a program that teaches people inside prison to code and then places them into tech jobs when they come out. Steve discovered Take2 at a Blackbird event and describes it as one of the most compelling ideas he has encountered.
The Holy Trinity problem
Starting Take2 required solving three interdependent challenges simultaneously: a prison partner, funders, and employment partners willing to hire graduates. None would commit without the other two already in place. Cameron calls this the Holy Trinity of challenges. After 12 months of patient work, a private prison operator in New Zealand made the first move, which unlocked the other two.
“Who are you and why do you care? No one has. They’re sitting there with this little glimmer of hope going, is this real?”
Cameron Smith on first entering a prison 07:00
From recruitment to unintentional entrepreneur
Cameron never planned to be a founder. Working in recruitment, he sat across from people whose convictions could have been a month or ten years ago and watched every client refuse to interview them. He saw mothers and fathers being told there was no opportunity. Growing up without a father himself, he understood the downstream impact. Combining that frustration with his knowledge of the tech talent shortage, the idea for Take2 formed.
Getting past scepticism inside prison
The first information seminar was not just Cameron standing at the front. He brought a board member who was CEO of a tech agency, and an advisory board member who had served 12 years for murder and completely transformed his life through education. When someone who has walked in their shoes says this is a great opportunity, the message lands differently. The teacher also shared his own learning challenges. That combination of stakeholders made the opportunity feel real.
“Everyone wants to save the refugees as long as they’re not living next door.”
Cameron Smith 03:00
Floppy Disc and other success stories
One of the older participants was a former chef nicknamed “Floppy Disc” by his cohort because the last time he had touched a computer, floppy discs were still around. He has now been working in the tech industry for over two and a half years. Another graduate has four young kids and is also thriving. The program is not just for young people.
Key takeaways
Chapters
00:00Introduction01:10Take2’s mission: a second chance02:03Cameron’s background and inspiration03:30Overcoming the Holy Trinity of challenges05:00The transformative power of employment07:00Launching in Australia09:30Building employer partnerships11:15Success stories from graduates13:00How to get involved and support Take2
Mentioned in this episode
Frequently asked questions
What is Take2?
Take2 is a three-year program that gives individuals in the justice system a second chance through tech training and employment. One year of intensive training happens inside prison, followed by two years of employment support on the outside.
How does Take2 select participants?
Participants must be literate and numerate, have enough sentence time remaining to complete in-prison training, and their offence type must not be in excluded categories (sex offences and cyber crime). Suitability is then assessed through conversations and a day in the classroom.
What was the biggest challenge starting Take2?
The “Holy Trinity” problem: getting a prison partner, funders, and employment partners simultaneously. None would commit without the other two. After 12 months, a private prison operator moved first, which unlocked the other partnerships.
Is Take2 only for young people?
No. Take2 works with people of all ages. One of their older participants, a former chef nicknamed “Floppy Disc,” has been working in tech for over two and a half years.
Is Take2 available in Australia?
Yes. Take2 started in New Zealand and is now expanding into Australia. Cameron tries to visit every month to build the Australian operation.
Topics discussed
Full transcript
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Show full transcript (35 minutes, 9 sections)
00:00 Intro
Steve: Welcome to a, in my view, special episode of Give It A Nudge because we have Cameron Smith here from Take2. I discovered them at a Blackbird event and completely fell in love with what they’re doing.
Cameron: Thanks Steve, great to be here.
01:10 The elevator pitch
Cameron: Take2 is set up to give individuals who have come into contact with the justice system a second chance at life. We do that through tech training and employment over a long period of time. It’s a three-year program, pretty intensive. One year of training, the tech side but also everything we wish we learned in school but never did, and then the support side around creating employment pathways.
03:30 The Holy Trinity problem
Cameron: There was the prison partner to get on board, the funders to cover the cost, and the employment partners who had to actually give individuals an opportunity. No one wanted to step forward unless the other two pieces were in place. Who blinked first was the prison system. A private prison operator became very decisive around wanting to make this happen.
07:00 First entering a prison
Cameron: What was ticking over in their mind was, who are you and why do you care? No one has cared. They’re sitting there with this little glimmer of hope going, is this real? But then there’s this huge blocker: this isn’t real, of course it’s not real, no one else has ever done this.
About the host
Steve Grace is the CEO and co-founder of The Nudge Group, a talent and advisory firm working with Australia’s fastest-growing tech and professional services companies. He has spent two decades recruiting and advising executive teams. Give It A Nudge is where he shares unfiltered conversations with founders, operators, and investors building something worth talking about.
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