UK: A programme of railway engineering apprenticeships has been launched at Highpoint prison in Suffolk in partnership with The Co-operative Group retail and consumer services business and the City & Guilds Foundation.
From August, the training programme will allow prisoners to complete full apprenticeships and end-point assessments before release.
The initiative has been set up partly in response to Co-op members’ requests at its AGM for the business to focus on reducing re-offending and supporting prisoner rehabilitation. It is intended to give offenders the chance to earn a Level 2 qualification as Rail Engineering Operatives, with the aim that they can move straight into employment and into trackside roles on release.
‘Our partnership with City & Guilds Foundation demonstrates the transformative power of targeted training, employment, and genuine opportunity’, explains Claire Costello, Chief People and Inclusion Officer at the retailer. ‘It is great that through our levy initiative we can invest in people and equip them with skills that are in high demand, not just reducing reoffending but also helping to tackle critical skills shortages in the UK rail sector, strengthening the fabric of society.’
‘This is a truly exciting and positive initiative, and we’re proud that HMP Highpoint is the first site to host the new rail engineering apprenticeship scheme’, added prison Governor Nigel Smith. ‘This programme not only equips prisoners with hands-on, industry-recognised skills — it also gives them a real, tangible opportunity to build a better future on release. By linking training directly to employment in a critical sector like rail, this scheme helps break the cycle of reoffending and supports safer communities.’
