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HMPPS improves skills, education and employment chances in about 109 prisons across England and Wales through Virtual Campus.

An online portal for ETE delivery in prisons

His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) is responsible for the operation and management of prisons and the probation system in England and Wales. It covers a total:

  • 109 prisons
  • 88,000 people in prisons
  • 241,500 people on probation

To reduce reoffending rates HMPPS provides Education, Training and Employment (ETE) support to the people in prisons. For many years they faced a problem where learning records were lost when offenders moved from prison to prison. This led to frustration for both operational staff and offender-learners.

HMPPS needed a comprehensive digital platform to help:

  1. Prison staff: manage the learning plans, progress and employment support of people in prisons before and after release.
  2. People in prisons: access employment-focused learning material, connect with external employment providers, receive help with CV building, and get one-to-one rehabilitation support.
  3. External support providers: To signpost and manage their services securely.

Tailored learning and employment support

HMPPS commissioned  Meganexus (An NEC Company) to redesign the Virtual Campus. We enhanced and expanded the existing platform using our secure digital training management software.

We consulted professionals and individuals in prisons to identify barriers in delivering the ETE programme. Our focus was on safely facilitating interactions between those inside prisons, employment providers and support staff outside the prison walls. To address these challenges, we developed flexible learning plans, created new content and integrated this into our software. Additionally, we established a secure connection to external support workers, enhanced CV-building resources, and introduced new tracking functions to manage outcomes. We also implemented intelligent job searching tools to improve employability.

THE IMPACT AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Virtual campus is now implemented with highest data standards in all prisons across England and Wales. Streamlined of flow of information has reduced the retaking of identical assessments conducted by multiple ETE providers. This has a positive impact on reducing costs as well as on offender-learners’ engagement with education, training and employment support.

Over 150,000 service users have benefited since Virtual Campus was first implemented. Service users can send information directly to support workers outside the prison which means a much faster, more efficient processes and better rehabilitation outcomes on release; and records are easily transferred when prisoners move between prisons.

Virtual Campus is a real team player at our prison. It is essential in offering fast, reliable methods of learning and assessment… It’s a resource worth its weight in rehabilitative impact.

Virtual Campus Champion, HMPPS

FIND OUT MORE

Do you have any questions about Virtual Campus or the work we do with Prison Services? Get in touch with us through the contact us page.