Getting Prisoners Back on Track
24 Mar 2006
Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP) Coldingley sits in the heart of the leafy Surrey countryside, with both an army rifle range and luxurious London commuter housing in close proximity. It is in this setting that the newest - and unlikeliest - recruits to the railway industry are being trained.
In Coldingley’s extensive engineering workshop, ten inmates are undergoing a thorough 20 days training in basic railway track maintenance - the first scheme of its kind in the country. In an industry facing an acute skills shortage, they will be a ready-made workforce who will not just improve the railway, but themselves as they begin new lives outside prison.
Resettlement project
The rail training scheme is just one of many courses run at Coldingley as part of the STEPS (Sustainable Training and Employment Partnerships) resettlement project. Prisoners are given training in key sectors where there is not enough staff, and employers take on the inmates once they have achieved City and Guilds or NVQs in anything from catering, information technology, sports science and even laundry. The rail training programme, in partnership with Network Rail and Gamble Rail Training, began in January and recently received the seal of approval on a visit from Fiona Mactaggart MP, the home office minister.
Paul McDowell, the prison’s governor, explained: “If we can create an agenda for resettling prisoners with their families, giving them a house and a regular job, they are less likely to re-offend.” Upon his arrival at Coldingley two years ago, Paul looked around the engineering workshop - the largest of its kind in the country - and believed it was not being used to its full potential.
He said: “The rail industry just entered my head and over 18 months we developed a partnership that resulted in track being laid here and a course that has been straightforward to facilitate. It is very encouraging to contribute towards the aim of filling a skills gap that is good for the prisoners, the staff and the railways.”
“I am guaranteed a job when I get out”
Prisoner Paul, or ‘Patch’ as he his known inside, is one inmate who has benefited from the scheme. He said: “I thought it would be hard at first, and I did not think I could do anything requiring skills. But I have surprised myself and I enjoy doing it. They should do this in other prisons. I am guaranteed a job when I get out, and I want to get straight on to the railways, take a few more courses and go further up the ladder.”
As well as practical work on the fully ballasted indoor railway track, prisoners are taught the basics of using tools, safety procedures, and general infrastructure. Most are coming towards the end of their time inside, and some get to go out and work whilst still serving their sentence, as a way of helping them prepare for life beyond prison.
Keen to learn
HMP Coldingley is a low security facility, specialising in training. Richard Bell, a course instructor with Gamble Training, said: “It has been really well received by the prisoners. They are very keen to learn and we are keen to stop them re-offending so they do not end up back here.”
Home Office Minister, Fiona Mactaggart MP, declared herself impressed with what she saw on her visit. “Many people ask me, ‘what is the point of prison?’ One of the most important things is working to give people skills and access to education, employment and housing,” she said. “The skills they are learning are nationally required, and in prison you have time to train people to learn constructively,” the minister added.