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Helping you create learning success

Helping prisons create learning success

The Ministry of Justice has made City & Guilds the exclusive provider* of qualifications in England prisons for:

  • Maths and English
  • Construction
  • Hospitality and Catering

*From August 2018, exclusively from April 2019 - 2023

Over 120 prisons in England and Wales work with us to support more than 60,000 learners a year in the adult and youth estate. While most prisoners hold very few qualifications and it’s widely understood that education is a key form of rehabilitation, there are huge opportunities in how we can work together to help your delivery of qualifications and training. We make sure our product and services are industry relevant for you by working closely with employers.

In its first year, The Clink charity reduced reoffending to just 10% (compared to the national average of 47%). Clink graduates have all worked towards a City & Guilds qualification in hospitality or horticulture.

What we can offer you

The offer for prisons is:

  • Maths and English – From Entry Level to Level 2, these qualifications can be delivered as bite-size or full qualifications. Learners have the benefit of adding to prior achievements, filling skills gaps or using as a stepping stone to full or higher qualifications, including apprenticeships, on release.
  • Construction – We are the leading provider of construction training and qualifications from Entry Level to Level 4, covering everything from basic hand skills, specialist trade occupations and site supervisory and management skills. Our qualifications are recognised by CSCS card scheme and our Level 2 and 3 qualifications are recognised in supporting apprenticeship training.
  • Hospitality and Catering – We offer a range of qualifications that meet occupational standards. Our portfolio has been developed with industry experts who help shape their continuing development, making them highly valued by employers throughout the UK. Areas covered range from food safety to professional chef and food service qualifications.

Newsletters

Discover more with our latest newsletters on the industries.

Automotive (PDF)

Building Services (PDF)

Business & ILM (PDF)

Construction (PDF)

Engineering (PDF)

Hair and Beauty (PDF)

Hospitality (PDF)

Land-based (PDF)

Maths & English (PDF)

Our wider offer

Social, personal development and lifelong skills
We offer a range of useful courses that can help prepare learners for life outside of prison. These include Personal Development, Budgeting, Rights and Responsibilities, Preparing for Work, Planning for Life and Work, Food Safety in Catering, Self-Employment.

Creative
Art & Design and Creative Media qualifications may support existing art programmes you have as well as providing opportunities for development.

Business and enterprise
We offer a range of courses in Business Administration, Customer Service, ICT, Leadership and Management, Coaching and Mentoring, Business and Enterprise.

Vocational skills training
We offer a wide range of vocational qualifications in various industries including Barbering and Hairdressing, Barista, Bricklaying, Cleaning, Electrical, Fork Lift Truck Operations, Hospitality and Catering, Plastering, Sales, Recycling Vehicle Maintenance, Warehousing.

Digital credentials
City & Guilds digital credentials help share your learner’s success online. A digital credential is a verified, visual representation of knowledge and skills learned. Unlike paper certificates they make it easy for learners to show their competencies to employers and peers online and can detail fully the learning components and assessment process involved.

Teaching and Learning support

Your tutors can use our extensive learning resources to help them deliver courses and support their learners’ success.

Digital
SmartScreen is our online system that gives unit-specific support materials for City & Guilds qualifications.

Tutors can access and download a range of support resources including:

  • lesson plans
  • handouts
  • sample assignments
  • sample schemes of work
  • activities
  • revision guides.

Learners benefit from engaging materials that use real world examples of learning and applying skills and includes:

  • videos
  • interactive e-learning.

Learning materials
Learners can access the information they need to support them during their course. Our textbooks and logbooks are developed with industry experts and complement our qualifications.

Supporting you
Your dedicated Business Manager and prison-focussed Quality Coordinators will help ensure you meet and maintain quality assurance standards.

Assessment and tests
Flexible methods from online testing to paper examinations gives you the chance to assess learners in diverse settings – from secure to open establishments – in a way that supports the demands you face, including the Virtual Campus and our unique pre-supply Functional Skills Level 1 and 2 paper based testing.

Ban the box employer

City & Guilds is a Ban the Box employer. When given a chance, ex-offenders make excellent employees, often exceeding employer’s expectations. Many Ban the box employers report increased loyalty and commitment among their employees with a criminal record.

City & Guilds and the St Giles Trust

City & Guilds has worked with St Giles Trust through their Skills Development Fund programme to up skill peer advisors who are supporting offenders and ex-offenders to progress into employment. Peer advisors are trained to give employment support, advice and guidance – and are often either ex-offenders or individuals who are from disadvantaged backgrounds where they are at risk of offending.

Awarded £100,000 through the Fund, St Giles Trust were able to develop a qualification which trained 63 peer advisors. These peer advisors are working with over 100 people, who are now three times more likely to be employed having had some contact with the St Giles Trust programme. The estimated saving to the public purse as a result of these people having been reached through the programme is £6.5m over three years – demonstrating the impact that employment has on preventing reoffending. Skills that fulfil potential.

Why use City & Guilds

City & Guilds is a global leader in skills development. Over one million people earn a City & Guilds qualification every year, providing them with the skills they need to thrive in the workplace.

We offer qualifications across 26 industries including: Automotive, Business Skills, Construction, Land-based Services, Hairdressing and Barbering, Hospitality and Catering, Warehousing.  We also have significant experience in Maths, English and Employability skills.

ILM is the UK’s leading specialist provider of leadership, coaching and management qualifications and accredited training. ILM is committed to helping individuals and organisations thrive and grow through the application of industry defining leadership training.

Learn more about our specialisms through our community of brands and our Foundation. Our work with Prisons sits at the heart of our purpose - to enable people and organisations to develop their skills for personal and economic growth.

Read more about us