Coracle launches digital learning scheme for former prisoners

People recently released from prison are to be offered digital education courses to help them learn new skills and become more employable.

Through a new initiative being run by the Chesterton Mill based EdTech company Coracle, former prisoners are being helped to reintegrate into society, with access to secure laptops deployed in selected approved premises in the North West of England.

The initial rollout covers three facilities in Manchester and nine further locations across the region.

Residents are using the offline laptops to access vital employability tools such as CV writing software as well as drug and alcohol awareness courses.

Users will be allowed to access laptops in dedicated learning rooms monitored by CCTV.

The specially designed laptops operate without connecting to the internet and are for education and employment purposes only.

How a progressive educational approach may help reduce the strain on prison services

James Tweed, Founder and CEO of Coracle – who advises the government on digital inclusion as a member of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Digital Inclusion Action Committee (DIAC) – said: “Education is the best way to address reoffending. It helps former prisoners gain employment and build a better life.

“We already provide prisoners across the United Kingdom with access to education, so it makes perfect sense for this service to be extended into approved premises sites. Manchester and the North West have taken a progressive approach on this issue.

“We all know that prisons are beyond their capacity and a new approach is needed. We can’t just keep on locking people up and hoping they’ll change. We need to do more with them while they are inside the justice system.

“I believe leaders in the North West are showing they want to do something new and better. It’s a part of the country that’s always been innovative and wants to show the way again. If this proves a success then there’s potential for it to be rolled out to the whole country.”

As a result of its work in British prisons, Coracle was awarded a King’s Award for Enterprise for promoting opportunity. Founded in 2006, the business operates in some of the world’s toughest environments, including the maritime industry, prisons and police custody suites, recently becaming a certified B Corporation.