Prisons
GSL runs three prisons in the UK HMP Altcourse, HMP Rye Hill and HMP Wolds. We operate a learning and skills (education) department at each establishment that offers a range of educational activities that are self-delivered by GSL at HMP Wolds and run in conjunction with City College Manchester <<http://www.manchester-city-coll.ac.uk/default.asp>> at HMPs Altcourse and Rye Hill.
Whether a prisoner needs help to learn to read or write or wishes to study an Open University course opportunities are provided for them to improve their skills and knowledge. Literacy, numeracy and information technology are the foundations of the learning programmes offered as these provide the core skills for prisoner resettlement needs but there are a number of other options available.
Prisoners can learn a foreign language, study a history topic of interest to them, create ceramic sculptures for display at venues outside the prison or take part in a variety of learning opportunities that focus on strengthening their links to their families.
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Employment skills can be learned through courses such as Introduction to Work and Introduction to Self Employment and vocational skills can be acquired through the electrical installations course and also via externally funded courses arranged by an information advice and guidance worker.
Prisoners are able to address their offending behaviour through courses such as drug awareness and victim awareness and can develop their general life skills by studying citizenship, budgeting and money management or assertiveness and decision making.
As well as having access to the study resources, prisoners can also arrange for the loan of books from a well-stocked library to enhance the learning experience. Learners are treated as individuals and their learning programme is designed around their needs and interests and is linked to sentence planning targets.
http://www.hmpaltcourse.co.uk/education/index.htm
http://www.hmpryehill.co.uk/education/index.htm
http://www.hmpwolds.co.uk/main_pages/education.htm
South Africa
GSL’s Managaung Centre has a well-established education system that is in place at the prison, which teaches inmates life skills with the aim to enhance offenders’ life prospects and to help them not to re-offend when released back into society. Mangaung’s adult learning centre is aptly called Liberty because it is believed that ‘education sets you free’. Liberty is one of the benchmark adult learning centres in South Africa and is widely acknowledged as a centre of excellence.