Future Skills Commission for Prisons | City & Guilds Foundation

Big Idea Fund: more funding available to unlock the potential of the UK Prison population, and reduce reoffending

by Stuart Tucker | 7 Jun 2023 | Funding, Future Skills Commission for Prisons, News, Prisoners and ex-offenders

The City & Guilds Foundation is pleased to announce that we are inviting expressions of interest for the second round of The Big Idea Fund until 22 June 2023. The Big Idea Fund was the first major initiative of the Foundation’s ambitious Future Skills Commission for Prisons. And since its launch in 2020, we have funded nine pioneering programmes, which are supporting individuals in prison to develop the skills they need to find employment upon release, helping to reduce the risk of...

Improving ex-offenders’ prospects through Groundwork’s ‘Green Start’ programme

by Polly Rowe | 26 May 2023 | Future Skills Commission for Prisons, News, News & events, Prisoners and ex-offenders

Groundwork is a federation of charities mobilising practical community action on poverty and the environment across the UK. Dedicated to supporting communities and creating a green future, they aim to improve people’s prospects and promote opportunities for everyone, whatever their background or circumstances. As part of Groundwork’s commitment to enhancing opportunities for employability, back in 2021 they launched their ‘Green Start’ programme, in partnership with us at the City & Guilds...

Celebrating skills development, in Prison, to support rehabilitation, on release

by Polly Rowe | 12 May 2023 | Future Skills Commission for Prisons, News, News & events, Prisoners and ex-offenders

For nearly four years now we have endeavoured, through our Foundation, to identify and activate practical ways for offenders to build skills and gain a job upon release. Reoffending costs approximately £18.1bn every year in England, and evidence shows that upskilling prisoners to gain sustainable employment upon release, together with stable accommodation and support, is the most effective way to counter reoffending. As part of our Future Skills Commission for Prisons, we have now funded eight...

Commitment of big business proves vital to tackle reoffending

by Faiza Khan | 24 Mar 2023 | Funding, Future Skills Commission for Prisons, News, News & events, Prisoners and ex-offenders

We were delighted to see the latest MOJ release that some of the UK’s biggest and most progressive companies have deepened their commitment to get people in prison into work on release, and that this has played a pivotal role in the rising numbers of prison leavers in employment 6 months after release - almost two thirds between April 2021 and March 2022, from 14 per cent to 23 per cent. According to government statistics, reoffending is reduced by up to nine percentage points for those who...

Support for a green start

by Polly Rowe | 27 Jan 2021 | Funding, Future Skills Commission for Prisons, News, Prisoners and ex-offenders

This guest post is by Andrew Harrison, Head of Contracts at Groundwork UK. As has often been said of late, we’re facing unprecedented challenges as a nation. Those challenges are many and significant – global economic trends, a changing climate and now an unforgiving pandemic. All of these forces impact first and worst on those in our society who have least, adding to the structural inequalities that have been affecting parts of our country for decades. Supporting those who need it most...

New skills fund to unlock £500m per year employment potential of UK prison population supporting efforts to rebuild after Covid

by Laura Mountain | 22 Sep 2020 | Critical transition points, Funding, Future Skills Commission for Prisons, News, Our networks, Prisoners and ex-offenders

Unlocking the skills potential of the UK’s prison population could put £500million a year back into the economy in lowering reoffending rates alone[1], a much-needed boost as we seek to rebuild the economy following Covid, new analysis from the City & Guilds Foundation suggests. The findings come as City & Guilds, the leading skills development provider, launches an ambitious new Future Skills Commission for Prisons to use jobs and training to help divert prisoners from committing...

Junior Smart: Meaningful work will keep ex-offenders like me out of prison

by Laura Mountain | 21 Sep 2020 | Case studies, Future Skills Commission for Prisons, News, Our networks, Prisoners and ex-offenders

The Foundation’s Big Idea Fund wants to experiment, to find out what really works so that it can be scaled up and used elsewhere. It is going out to brilliant charities and innovative prison projects that want to partner up and find practical solutions to one of our society’s biggest problems. I believe a big idea like this has never been needed more. View this post on Instagram Meaningful work will keep ex-offenders like me out of prison, writes Junior Smart a member of our Future...

The Clink charity launches Clink@Home takeaway / delivery service

by Stuart Tucker | 20 Aug 2020 | Charity partners, Future Skills Commission for Prisons, News, Our networks, Prisoners and ex-offenders

The Clink Charity has launched a takeaway / delivery service at HMP Brixton called Clink@Home. This has enabled The Clink to keep the restaurant open during lockdown, keeping prisoners employed and allowing them to continue studying towards their qualifications. Great @BBCNews feature showing the impact @TheClinkCharity has on reducing re-offending. If you live within 5 miles of @HMP_Brixton please support #ClinkAtHome - you'll be helping prisoners to continue studying towards their...

City & Guilds Foundation launches groundbreaking new skills fund for prisons

by Laura Mountain | 17 Dec 2019 | Funding, Future Skills Commission for Prisons, News, Prisoners and ex-offenders

The City & Guilds Foundation is inviting bids to a new £1m fund to help provide skills training and employment for prisoners and ex-offenders. The Big Idea Fund is now inviting expressions of interest from charities, prison governors and other potential providers, with awards to be made from April 2020. It is seeking bids that aim to meaningfully reduce reoffending through personalised training and sustained employment support in innovative new ways that can be rapidly scaled up if...