Memorandum submitted by learndirect
BACKGROUND
The draw of modern technology, in the form of
learndirect, will give prisoners the opportunity to achieve a
qualification and improve their employability through secure on-line
learning.—David Blunkett at HMP Leeds, August 2001
A learndirect project was launched in August
2001 by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and the
Prisoner Learning and Skills Unit (now the Offender Learning and
Skills Unit or OLSU) to investigate the value of using learndirect
to prepare prisoners for the world of work.
The original project involved supporting learndirect
provision in five prisons, three of which were adult male and
two Young Offenders' Institutes (YOIs). The pilot engaged around
one thousand learners over a six month period, the biggest impact
coming where prison officers were also engaged with learndirect.
Since then, learndirect has been rolled out to fifteen prisons
(see Appendix 1). There are plans to roll out to a further five
prisons (see Appendix 2), bringing the total to twenty. These
prisons include YOIs and women's prisons as well as those from
the original pilot. The learndirect course offer available in
this extended roll out is of a better quality and also a more
diverse portfolio than previously. It is too early to give any
figures for engagement, but we expect a similar level of involvement
as in the original pilot.
The most significant impact of learndirect in
prisons has been in widening participation in learning among the
prison community, through its ability to attract into learning
those who would not otherwise have engaged in formal education
activities. Most commonly this group would have low levels of
educational attainment, including poor basic skills, and lack
the confidence and self esteem to take up learning. For some prisoners,
learndirect was their first experience of learning since leaving
school.
A wide range of benefits have been observed:
(a) Improved motivation to learn amongst
prisoners using learndirect.
(b) Access to educational facilities outside
of the traditional education provision available within the prison.
(c) Improvements in prisoners' self confidence
and self esteem, often a precondition of success in learning.
(d) Improved relationships between prisoners
and between prisoners and prison officers.
(e) Access to the national tests in maths
and English in online format.
Appendix three gives examples of work carried
out by learndirect in prisons and with the Probation Service.
NEXT STEPS
learndirect is involved in the new national
prison "development regions" launched this autumn, which
will pilot new education delivery and funding models in three
regions. The regions are the North West, the South West and the
North East. Each learndirect region is engaging with the regional
Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to agree the extent of learndirect's
involvement. Following evaluation of these projects, the Home
Office with the OLSU and the LSC, plan to roll out new models
for the delivery of education, from September 2005.
OLSU is currently developing a new Information
Technology and learning strategy, on which learndirect intends
to comment.
learndirect have recently been notified of its
success in a European Social Fund bid to increase the employability
of offenders serving a sentence of less than two years. learndirect
will be working predominantly in the North East, South West, London
and the East regions. The aim is not only to engage prisoners
with learndirect whilst serving their sentence and progress them
to the Level 2 employability benchmark, but also, through the
use of mentors, to provide opportunities for the offender to continue
to engage with learning at the end of their sentence.
LEARNDIRECT IN
THE PROBATION
SERVICE
It is relevant to explain what involvement learndirect
has with the Probation Service because of the Government's plans
to unite the two services. There are currently around 200,000
offenders per annum, 50% of whom have a basic skills requirement.
Approximately half of these number are at pre-entry level. The
majority of offenders are males between 18 and 21 years of age.
Significant additional money has been made available through the
LSC to increase the number of offenders receiving training. Tenders
for utilising these funds are currently with regional LSCs and
there is an excellent opportunity for learndirect to become embedded
in solutions utilising this new funding pot. In preparation for
learndirect engaging formally through this route, and in order
to contribute towards the Probation Service's targets for Basic
Skills course uptakes and Certificates in Adult Literacy and Numeracy,
learndirect ran a pilot project (4 January-31 March 2004) to assess
the feasibility of delivering an appropriate portfolio of learndirect
courses within the Probation Service.
The probation pilot project operated in four
areas: Telford, Shrewsbury, Wales and Leeds and was very successful.
For example, in Leeds the pilot was in a probation hostel which
enabled residents to access dedicated learndirect provision one
day a week. The main focus of this learning was Skills for Life
although many learners progressed to IT and Business and Management
courses once they had the necessary literacy and numeracy skills.
The hostel delivery has been carried out by the A4e Leeds learndirect
Centre. The advantages of working with this provider have been
their past experience of working with this client group and the
benefits of linking their hostel based learndirect delivery into
Jobcentre Plus provision. This has enabled residents to progress
onto programmes which offer them work experience opportunities.
The success of this pilot has led to learndirect working with
West Yorkshire Probation service to roll-out delivery to three
other hostels in the area.
Additionally, when opening new premises at a
pilot project in Shrewsbury in March 2004, Martin Neary, Director
General of National Offender Management Service (NOMS), commended
the Chief Officer of West Mercia Probation Areas for the excellent
work being undertaken with learndirect and suggested that the
model should be replicated nationally.
learndirect is now working with local probation
service offices in all nine English regions. Different delivery
models have been adopted to suit the client and probation service.
For instance learndirect is now trying to replicate good practice
in South Yorkshire, with the Probation Service encouraging one
of their existing providers (SOVA) to become a learndirect provider.
Delivery will start in this hostel in January, and the newly refurbished
learndirect room will also cater for offenders on Community Punishment
orders who wish to spend time learning at weekends.
Success stories come from those who feel their
confidence, and opportunities open to them, have improved; from
those who achieved a Level 1 and/or 2 in the Certificate in Adult
Literacy and Numeracy; and from individuals who have found employment
as a result of learndirect.
VISION FOR
THE FUTURE
learndirect, like many organisations involved
with offenders, believe that wherever they serve their sentence,
offenders should have access to innovative learning such as that
delivered by learndirect through e-learning, within the constraints
of the protection of the public. Effective use of information
technology should be made to allow the transfer of prisoner education
records from prison to prison, and a secure link to a probation
education network, so that offenders leaving prison can continue
with their learning in the context of their rehabilitation orders.
APPENDIX 1
PRISONS WITH LEARNDIRECT SYSTEM INSTALLED
| Prison |
| HMP Brockhill |
| HMYOI Bullwood Hall |
| HMYOI Feltham |
| HMP Hollesley Bay |
| HMP Holloway |
| HMYOI Huntercombe |
| HMP Leeds |
| HMP New Hall |
| HMYOI Onley |
| HMP The Mount |
| HMP Warren Hill |
| HMYOI Wetherby |
| HMPYOI Hindley |
| HMYOI Stoke Heath |
| HMYOI Werrington |
|
APPENDIX 2
PRISONS AWAITING INSTALLATION
HMYOI Castington
HMP Eastwood Park
HMP Lancaster Farms
HMYOI Thorn Cross
HMP Wellingborough
November 2004
| 
