Week of VocTech: Prisons

Learning technology in prisons: how digital tools are providing accessible, personalised and high-quality learning in the prisons and criminal justice sector.

Digital tools and technology are essential to delivering the prison and offender education system the UK needs.

The use of technology to deliver training and education in prisons presents a range of interesting, and sometimes complex, challenges. Although these challenges are not unique and tend to fall into known categories or themes, secure environments require that our projects tackle them in novel ways.

What has become clear through these projects is that providing a safe, connected device is necessary, yet insufficient for the effective delivery of learning in prisons. In order for the access to be truly useful, prisoners need comprehensive content within secure constraints that can be personalised both in content and experience.

This session drew on the experience of Ufi-funded projects, delivering vocational education across the criminal justice system, to share how some of these complex challenges can be overcome.

Patrick Dunn

Project and Partnership Manager, Ufi VocTech Trust

Patrick is a Project and Partnership Manager at Ufi VocTech Trust, supporting a range of projects and cohorts using digital technology to improve access to skills. Patrick has been particularly involved in Ufi’s work across prisons and the secure settings. See ufi.co.uk/insights/criminal-justice for details.

This session was delivered as part of Digital Leaders Innovation Week 2022 taking place online from 14-18 November.