Prisoner Pathway to Apprenticeships

An important element of the Government’s strategy to develop the UK skills base is through its commitment to increasing the quality and quantity of apprenticeships. The apprenticeship levy was established as part of the Government’s Apprenticeships scheme and came into force in April 2017. It aimed to replace apprenticeships with a high-quality standard.

Part of this strategy included the Prisoner Apprenticeship Pathway. AELP (Association of Employment and Learning Providers) and ERSA (Employment Related Services Association) summed up the prisoner pathway perfectly in their report. “The Prisoner Apprenticeship Pathway has the potential to reduce re-offending, fill skills shortages in key sectors and provide prisoners with realistic and meaningful employment prospects upon release.”

The Pathway is an opportunity to increase the use of apprenticeships as well as support the focus on the prisoner’s rehabilitation and eventual return to the community.

Benefits of apprenticeships

There are numerous benefits associated with apprenticeships, including increased productivity and improved employment prospects. Apprenticeships offer the chance to earn a salary while also undertaking training in the skills that employers want, excellent progression opportunities, increased future earning potential and the support of a mentor.

Apprenticeships must offer training to Level 2 in English and Maths or Functional Skills if the apprentice does not already have these or equivalent qualifications. Within a prison, providing a credible and engaging vocational offer can be an effective way to motivate prisoners to achieve Level 2 literacy and numeracy, which they may not otherwise achieve through standalone classroom-based provision.

Apprenticeships, therefore, offer a real opportunity for improving the skills base of prisoners and addressing the gap in outcomes for prisoners.

How apprenticeships benefit ex-prisoners

Many ex-prisoners face additional barriers to employment, such as employer bias, resulting in longer periods out of work. They also may not be able to adjust to the world of work easily, depending on the length of their sentence. Apprenticeships offer a bridge back to employment for many ex-prisoners, as well as a way to train in new skills.

An apprenticeship upon release may mitigate circumstances that prevent people from accessing immediate employment opportunities, as well as leading to better accommodation outcomes and financial stability.

Apprenticeships can also help prisoners that are changing professions after their sentence or train them with new skills they may need to return to their previous employment. Options are there for ex-prisoners to upskill or retrain with apprenticeships.

The benefit isn’t only to ex-prisoners though. Employment (including apprenticeships) has been shown to significantly reduce the chances of reoffending. The latest Ministry of Justice bulletin shows adult offenders had a proven reoffending rate of 28.8%, juvenile offenders had a proven reoffending rate of 32.6%, and adults starting a court order had a proven reoffending rate of 37.0%. Adults released from prison had a proven reoffending rate of 38.6%. The MoJ’s analysis on the impact of employment on reoffending shows a reduction in reoffending of almost 10%. Supporting prisoners into good quality, sustainable employment is, therefore, an essential element towards reducing the national reoffending rate.

How CogniSoft can help

Here at CogniSoft, we are firm believers that apprenticeships are for everyone, and support the pathway for prisoners through apprenticeships.

We provide learner management systems for skills and employability providers. This includes apprenticeship providers. Our systems ensure that providers can deliver the best service to the users, which ensures the most successful outcomes.  

Get in touch today to see how we can help by emailing [email protected] or by calling us on 0161 777 2900