We're aiming to raise £7,000,000 in 2025. So far levy donors have pledged £4,978,000.
The total amount pledged from May 2021 is £38,293,166.
We're aiming to raise £7,000,000 in 2025. So far levy donors have pledged £4,978,000.
The total amount pledged from May 2021 is £38,293,166.
With the average cost of care per prisoner exceeding £51,000 per year — and over 87,000 people currently in custody across England and Wales — our prison system holds significant, untapped potential to support skills development, reduce reoffending, and improve employment outcomes.
City & Guilds partners with over 120 prisons across the country to equip individuals with the knowledge and skills they need to transition into further education, employment, and ultimately, a more positive future. There is a pressing need for a credible, coordinated, and constructive strategy that brings together skills training, employment pathways, and rehabilitation.
Currently, around 80% of offending is reoffending. However, recent data shows that if someone leaving prison is employed within six weeks of release, their likelihood of reoffending is cut by half — a powerful testament to the impact of meaningful work.
In partnership with HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and employers, City & Guilds has helped create a pioneering new model: prisoners are recruited into programmes based on real, local employer demand. They are transferred to HMP Highpoint, where they receive intensive, hands-on training and engage directly with industry partners. After completing the programme, they return to their local prison to prepare for release and guaranteed employment in their community.
The expansion of this model includes the launch of the first rail engineering apprenticeship at the Centre of Excellence skills hub at HMP Highpoint. This apprenticeship prepares learners to transition directly into track engineering roles upon release. The programme has been designed so that nearly all off-the-job training is delivered inside prison, enabling prison leavers to start working and contributing immediately upon re-entering society.
Early results are remarkable: learners released from the Centre of Excellence into employment is currently 2.5 times the national average. This demonstrates the life-changing power of guaranteed employment. Apprenticeships consistently deliver some of the highest outcomes in leading individuals into high-quality, sustained careers — reinforcing the proven effectiveness of the Centre of Excellence model, which has the potential to be truly system-changing.
This is the first programme of its kind, offering employers a unique opportunity to support rehabilitation – whether through direct employment, or by transferring apprenticeship levy funding. By working together, we can change lives, strengthen our communities, and prevent further victims of crime.
Providing real-life skills training and guaranteed job opportunities to prisoners upon release can be truly life-changing — not only on the individuals themselves, but also for their families and the wider society.
“Being given the opportunity to stay away from trouble, not having to go and reoffend for the sake of money, it all comes down to job opportunities. Gaining the skills I needed to get onto the railway; it gave me the opportunity to get straight into work upon leaving prison. It just totally minimised the possibility of me going back and reoffending.” – Alumni Learner
“After serving 5 years, I discovered the City & Guilds rail course while in CAT D. I travelled every day to Highpoint from my CAT D prison on ROTL. I’d always been interested in engineering and saw this as a way forward. The mix of theory and hands-on work was great, and the trainers treated us like people, not prisoners, genuinely caring that we all did well. I left prison on a Friday and started work that Sunday with City & Guilds supporting with my probation. Now I’m full-time as a white hat with a gang part of Network Rail. This opportunity has changed my life, supported my family, and given me purpose. I have a family that I can now support legitimately and I’m on a really good wage. I am forever grateful to City & Guilds for this opportunity and I’m now looking to upskill and get my LU – life couldn’t be any better right now.” – Alumni Learner
If you are a levy payer, Co-op Levy Share enables you to transfer your funds to other employers across private, public, voluntary and community sectors. Due to the funding rule changes, serving prisoners are now able to access an apprenticeship programme.
Whether it is jobs, equipment, time, funding or advocacy, your support is vital. To learn more about City & Guild’s work within prisoner rehabilitation, visit here.
If prisoner rehabilitation is an area you would like to support this initiative then please consider pledging to the service. You could also be supporting people from minority backgrounds, care-leavers, neurodiverse individuals and young people from alternative provisions as these groups are all overrepresented in the prison system. Joining us on this mission is another way of supporting demographics from groups we know face cumulative barriers to employment.
"New policy changes allow us to employ prison leavers on release directly after completing a rail apprenticeship — a powerful step that offers second chances, builds practical skills, and highlights the lasting value of apprenticeships in driving positive change and workforce growth." – Stephen Welsh, CRSA
Level 2 Rail Engineering operative apprenticeship
Course duration: Up to 24 months
Cost per learner: £12,000
Would we be able to visit the prison?
A – Yes, if you feel as though your company and colleagues would benefit from visiting HMP Highpoint, this can be arranged with City & Guilds.
Can I meet the learners or see the impact of the programme?
A – You are more than welcome to visit the learners on programme at any point during the process and can be arranged with City & Guilds. The impact of the programme will be closely monitored by City & Guilds with the learners being provided wrap-around support on release. The City & Guilds Foundation publish a public annual report against their social impact framework to monitor impact of people, organisations, and wider society. Our Impact | City & Guilds Foundation
Where will my levy funding go?
A – Any levy funding that you commit to transferring will be split between the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) levy account and the apprentice’s employer. The MoJ levy pot will pay the training provider directly whilst the apprentice is still in prison. When the prisoner is released, the levy funding will then be directly paid to the apprentice’s employer for them to transfer to the training provider. This will be a simple process on your Apprenticeship Service (AS) account.
How much will the prisoners be paid during the apprenticeship?
A – Prisoner apprentices who are enrolled on an apprenticeship whilst in an open prison (CAT D) and on Release on Temporary Licence (RoTL) must be paid the appropriate minimum wage. Prisoner apprentices who are enrolled on an apprenticeship in the closed estate will be subject to prison rules and payments for work will reflect the existing rates of pay for work within a prison setting as set by HMPPS.
On release from prison, all employers are committed to and must pay the National Real Living Wage.
When will the prisoner be employed?
A – Each prisoner must have an employer committed to employing them on release from prison to be able to be enrolled onto an apprenticeship. The employer must sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) prior to the prisoners starting the apprenticeship. Whilst in prison, HMPPS will act as the apprentice’s employer. On release from prison, the MoU will transfer into an employment contract from that employer.
How does the apprenticeship work in prison?
A – The apprenticeship has been designed and is intended to enable the prisoner to complete all of the off-the-job hours inside prison however some elements can be completed on release. Prisoner apprentices may undertake end-point assessment (EPA) prior to release. This applies to prisoner apprentices who are enrolled on an apprenticeship whilst on Release on Temporary Licence (RoTL) and prisoner apprentices enrolled on an apprenticeship in the closed estate whose release date is within 2 years.
Do I need to consider anything else as a pledging employer?
A - In line with all levy transfers, Co-op Levy Share utilises the government’s AS and all transactions flow through the service. The pledging employer does not need to make contact with the receiving organisation in any other way, unless they would like to. Please see the FAQs on the main website https://www.cooplevyshare.co.uk/faqs/