Training and Qualifications Offered to Prisons Around the Country

New College’s Training and Development Team are using their expertise to help improve people’s employability and life skills with an exciting new contract with Sodexo to provide training in prisons across the country both for prison staff and offenders.

Sodexo Justice Services has been running since 1993 over 120 sites across the world, including five prisons in the UK.

So far training has been rolled out at HMP Forest Bank and HMP Bronzefield, hopefully with HMP Peterborough and HMP Northumberland prisons soon to follow.

Fifteen prisoners at HMP Forest Bank in Salford, Greater Manchester have already passed a Level 1 Customer Services course with work completed to a high standard. Prisoners are also completing NVQs in Performing Manufacturing Operations, Catering and Food Production and soon Recycling.

HMP Bronzefield in Ashford, Surrey will be working with Fast Forward to roll out NVQs in Hair and Beauty over a six month period as this area is a key employment opportunity for women.

Staff at various prisons will also get the chance to boost or refresh their employability skills through distance learning and NVQ assessor training. The distance learning will include areas such as mental health awareness and end of life care.

The Fast Forward team plan is to help Sodexo reduce re-offending rates by giving people the support and skills they need to turn their life around.  “There’s no magical solution” says Emma Lacey, Business Services Manager at Fast Forward “but if the work we do gives offenders the chance to make a new start, then with any luck they won’t end up back in prison.  The trainers and assessors are finding the prisons incredibly positive and supportive environments to work in.  Far from being apathetic and disinterested, the groups we’ve had on our courses have put in lots of effort to make the programmes a success.”

For more information on training courses offered by Fast Forward please email [email protected] or call 0808 178 3675.