Call for evidence - Review of Offender Learning

Background to the Call for Evidence

Offender learning is a vital element within the offender skills and employment agenda. We know that, especially in concert with the resolution of housing issues, it is a very significant factor in reducing re-offending. We need to focus on protecting the public from the costs and effects of crime. Effective and relevant offender learning provision makes offenders better able to find work, and so more of an asset to the economy, and less of a concern to the wider community, particularly through preventing people from becoming the victims of tomorrow.

In December 2006, Reducing Re-offending Through Skills and Employment: Next Steps (“Next Steps”) set out a plan of actions to improve the effectiveness of the cross-government arrangements for delivering skills and providing the employment services, within the context of the criminal justice system, that lead to reduced re-offending. A great deal of activity has taken place since then, including the appointment of a new set of offender learning providers, the introduction of separate arrangements for providing careers information and advice, the introduction by the National Offender Management Service of arrangements to support offenders on transition back into the community, and a strategic review of employment services for offenders.

The review of offender learning announced by John Hayes, Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, will assess progress against the policy framework set out in the Next Steps document and make recommendations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the arrangements. The review is taking full account of the earlier strategic review of employment services for offenders, and will inform the Ministry of Justice’s Autumn Green Paper setting out the proposed approach to sentencing and rehabilitation reform.

Next Steps can be found on the Ministry of Justice website. 

This call for evidence is an important part of the review: we want to know what you think and why. This is your chance to tell us what we can start doing, do better or stop doing at all.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Jane Bateman
Chair of the Offender Learning Review Steering Group

Download the consultation

• Call for evidence: review of offender learning (PDF, 109 Kb) 

Download the government response

• Making prisons work: skills for rehabilitation. Review of offender learning (PDF, 360 Kb) 
• Distillation of call for evidence responses: review of offender learning (PDF, 176 Kb) 
• Implementation and delivery of the test beds virtual campus: case study (PDF, 432 Kb)