A Ministry of Justice (MoJ) training scheme for prisoners has ended three years after its launch. The scheme, HMP Academies, was judged to offer poor value for taxpayers’ money.
The employer-led initiative set out to open academies in 17 prisons over four years. According to FE Week, only one opened before the scheme ended.
In 2023 the MoJ issued a tender worth £1 million. It sought employers willing to train serving prisoners in 15 men’s prisons and two women’s prisons.
Under the plans, prisoners who finished the training would have had a guaranteed interview for a live job vacancy. They would also have gained formal qualifications where employers saw a need.
A handful of prison academies already existed before the launch, backed by employers including Timpson and Halfords.
The only new HMP Academy since then opened at HMP Wealstun in West Yorkshire. In January 2025, Leeds-based facilities management firm SBFM set up a cleaning academy there.
An SBFM spokesperson told FE Week that 31 offenders took part. Average attendance stood at 84 per cent, a figure that includes those who dropped out.
The MoJ refused to say how many participants completed the course or how many received a job interview. It cited data protection, but described the figure as a “high proportion”.
Jon Collins, chief executive of Prisoners’ Education Trust (PET), said the scheme had offered a chance to build on existing successes. He told FE Week: “it’s deeply disappointing that the programme has not been able to deliver on its original aims”.
The MoJ said it would “take forward learnings from the pilot including how we improve future procurement processes for work and education services”.
It added that the Government is committed to punishment that cuts crime. Every prison provides the education and training needed to reduce reoffending, the department said. It is also strengthening links between governors and local employers so that more people can find work on release.
HMP Wealstun is a category C men’s prison in Yorkshire and the Humber. At its last full inspection, in January 2023, inspectors rated safety, respect, and rehabilitation and release planning as reasonably good. They rated purposeful activity as not sufficiently good.
