« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
7. LEARNING, SKILLS AND EMPLOYABILITY
Background
7.1 The recent new contract for the provision of learning, skills and employability services had been awarded to Lauder College and implemented in April 2005. Lauder College held the previous contract.
Learning Centre
7.2 A full-time manager was responsible for the learning centres at Perth and Friarton. A team of six experienced and well-qualified teaching staff supported learning across both centres. The Perth and Kinross Literacy Partnership supported a dedicated adult literacy tutor post and this enhanced one-to-one learning. The teaching staff were enthusiastic and committed to the needs of their learners. The prisoners spoke warmly of the positive relationship with learning centre staff and there was a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere in classrooms.
7.3 Accommodation at both learning centres was of a good standard and they were well furnished, bright and clean. The Perth learning centre had six classrooms located on two levels, including a well-equipped computer room and art room. However, the computing room was located on the upper-floor and was not easily accessible to prisoners with mobility difficulties. A few older specification PCs were available in a downstairs classroom but there was no access to printing facilities in this room. These computers were also unsuitable to support the range of software required for the teaching of mathematics in this room. The Friarton learning centre had one large teaching room equipped with suitable computers and a small private study room.
7.4 Learning centre staff promoted opportunities for learning through posters and information leaflets distributed in the halls. Word-of-mouth personal recommendations from other prisoners was encouraged by staff as a way of attracting new learners. Learning centre staff held a useful welcome session for new learners twice a week where prisoners were given information about the range of courses and services available in the learning centre.
7.5 All new prisoners were required to complete an "alerting tool questionnaire" during their induction process. This short questionnaire was used to diagnose their basic literacy and numeracy needs. Learning centre staff responded to these results from and engaged with prisoners to offer further basic skills assessment or support, if they wished so. However, there was no proactive follow-up of prisoners refusing initial educational assistance once they had established themselves in the prison.
7.6 The current high number of prisoner movements presented real difficulties for learning centre staff to plan and implement meaningful programmes of learning for many prisoners. Often prisoners were transferred to another establishment before programmes could be completed or, in some cases, begun. The transfer of prisoners' initial educational assessment and learning records to the forwarding establishment by learning centre staff was not timeous, due to the large numbers involved and lack of administrative support. This resulted in prisoners having to engage in similar initial assessment at their new establishments.
7.7 All learning was self-directed and appropriately supported by tutors where required. Prisoners engaged purposefully in an appropriate range of basic and core skills learning activities, including literacy, numeracy and ICT. A more limited range of other subjects, including art and flexible learning units was also offered. Overall prisoners were satisfied with the relevance of their learning and the support from tutors. However, art classes were only available one day a week and more than a few prisoners expressed a desire for additional classes. Similarly, the unavailability of full-time education was a concern of more than a few prisoners. Evening classes were only available one night a week due to unavailability of prison staff and this reduced opportunities for more prisoners to take up learning activities.
7.8 Prisoners attending classes and completing programmes attained certification for their learning. In the current year prisoners achieved an average of 34 accredited SQA Units per month. This compared to a monthly average of 52 SQA Units in 2004. This drop in prisoner attainment was due to the decrease in prisoner population at Perth and the high number of prisoner movements. The learning centre also celebrated prisoner success with regular award ceremonies that were attended by senior staff from Lauder College.
7.9 Learning centre staff engaged in an annual self-evaluation exercise that identified strengths and weaknesses in the planning and delivery of learning programmes. However, no SMART actions were recorded and no subsequent quality improvement plan produced. This reduced the effectiveness of the process and limited opportunities to bring about real improvement to the learning experience of prisoners.
Employability
7.10 At both Perth and Friarton the majority of prisoners were allocated to a good range of work parties. Opportunities for work experience and training existed in areas such as painting, joinery, brickwork, tailoring, hairdressing and laundering.
7.11 The industrial training units were well equipped to industry standard and maintenance and health and safety records were up-to-date. Industrial safety was actively promoted and all prisoners underwent lifting and handling training before they were allowed to participate in vocational activities. In the joinery workshop prisoners were only able to access machinery independently once they had demonstrated their competence to use it safely. Again, good record keeping supported this process.
7.12 Prisoners were engaged in meaningful production work in the joinery, wood handling and tailoring workshops. Significant external contracts were delivered to a number of major national companies and agencies. Production targets mirrored industry expectations and served to familiarise prisoners with a realistic work environment, with bonuses paid only if targets were achieved.
7.13 However, there was almost daily disruption to work parties at both Perth and Friarton due to a shortage of prison escort staff to take prisoners to work areas. This had a negative impact on the groups of prisoners who were unable to access their work parties and resulted in prisoners being restricted to their halls during the day. It also impacted on production targets not being achieved and prevented a few prisoners from achieving bonus payments. It is recommended that prisoners are able to access their work parties.
7.14 Prisoners on more than a few of the work parties were enrolled for appropriate vocational awards such as City & Guild and SQA Scottish Progression Awards. However, there was no formal recording and certification of employability skills that were clearly being delivered and developed. Opportunities existed for a SPS certificate to record these skills in attendance, teamwork, problem solving and vocational expertise but were not offered to prisoners.
7.15 Prison staff supported prisoners in the development of basic numeracy skills through their delivery of vocational skills training. However, there was no active support of this basic skills delivery by learning centre staff or indeed regular discussion between vocational trainers and learning centre staff. This reduced the support available to prisoners for basic skills development. Plans were in place for closer working when the new learning centre and vocational training centre buildings are completed.
Library
7.16 Routinely prisoners had good opportunities to use library facilities at Perth, through a well-planned programme of access. However, at the time of inspection access was suspended for prisoner work parties and protection parties. Prisoners on remand or in the Segregation Unit had more limited access to facilities, with a selection of books available on a library trolley. Around 7% of the prisoner population made regular use of library facilities.
7.17 Excellent relations were maintained with the local authority library ( AK Bell Library) and this resulted in a good supply of material, including talking and large format books. The local authority librarian attended the prison weekly and actively sought out books on specific topics for prisoners. However, there were no current periodicals, magazines or music loans available, apart from an in-house SPS journal for prisoners.
7.18 An innovative "Meet the Author" session was held three or four times a year and was attended regularly by around 15 prisoners. Local authors engaged meaningfully with the prisoner group and shared their work and thoughts on literary matters. This is an area of good practice.
7.19 Prisoners were not involved in the acquisition of stock and there was no strategic partnership between the learning centre and library for provision of resources to support learners. This poor liaison meant that opportunities were missed to link the library more closely to prisoner learning activities.
7.20 The current accommodation, in a former woodworking shop, was of poor quality and did not present an environment conducive for prisoners to make best use of the library facilities.
Conclusion
7.21 Prisoners enjoyed positive learning experiences supported by enthusiastic and committed learning centre staff. However, the current prison regime of high prisoner movements numbers presented real difficulties for learning centre staff to plan and implement meaningful programmes of learning for many prisoners. Work experience and vocational training opportunities for prisoners were generally good but the shortage of prison escort staff prevented prisoners from gaining maximum benefit from these activities. The formal recording and certification of employability skills should be pursued by SPS staff.
« Previous | Contents | Next »