Raab and Zahawi propose apprenticeships for prisoners

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab and Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi want to introduce an apprenticeship program for prisoners.

They said that their departments were “working to offer apprenticeships to offenders who are out on day release or nearing the end of sentence”.

Writing in The Times, the pair said: “Our plan will enable hundreds of prisoners to start apprenticeships by 2025, opening up a whole new avenue of training, development and employment for ex-offenders.

“New prisons are being built with in-cell technology and modern workshops, to equip offenders with skills they need, and businesses want.

“Six new prisons have been designed to play a crucial role in cutting crime by enabling thousands of prisoners to have access to work training.”

They said a new prison in Leicestershire would train up to 500 prisoners at a time in skills like coding, recycling and waste management.