This week saw a monumental change in the justice sector. Just three days after legislation was changed to allow prisoners to become apprentices while completing their sentences, the first offenders have already started their apprenticeships.
It is difficult to understate how transformative this change is for prison education – and the justice sector more broadly. It will provide a fresh start for many offenders by offering a high-quality technical pathway for them to gain the skills that are so essential to securing stable employment upon their release. This is a critical part of breaking the cycle of reoffending.
At LTE Group, we are fortunate to bring together experts from the full spectrum of the FE and skills sector, from further and higher education to apprenticeships and prison education. Over the past 12 months, we have used this unique position to play a leading role in putting this policy change into practice. This has led to offender learning specialists, Novus, and independent training provider, Total People, working hand in hand to deliver one of the very first prisoner apprenticeships in partnership with the Timpson Group, with the support of HMP Thorn Cross.
