The latest Willmott Dixon drylining academy at HMP Lincoln follows similar initiatives at HMP Elmley in Kent, HMP Cardiff (in partnership with Etex) and HMP Belmarsh in London. As with the previous versions, the HMP Lincoln academy will help prisoners obtain qualifications as they near their release date.
Groups of up to eight people a time will go through the academy to learn drylining skills and earn a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card, enable them to work on construction sites. The first cohort of learners finishes later this month.
Suppliers supporting the academy at HMP Lincoln include Advante, British Gypsum, Elmsmere, Nuneaton Signs, We Are Social Enterprise and Lincsco.
Nick Heath, a Willmott Dixon director in the Midlands, said: “Willmott Dixon has a purpose beyond profit and that includes providing opportunities and driving social mobility in our communities. With our presence in Lincolnshire growing, our newest academy will help people coming out of HMP Lincoln find long-term work and reduce the likelihood of reoffending.”
He also noted the industry-wide labour shortage and added: “Our academy equips ex-offenders with skills to find a rewarding job when their sentence completes and boosts the local talent pool of skilled construction workers.”
HMP Lincoln governor Matt Spencer said: “The partnership between Willmott Dixon, HMP Lincoln and the supply chain is a great example of the quality vocational training HMP Lincoln wants to provide to its prisoners. With this vocational training, HMP Lincoln prisoners have a much better chance of getting a job on release and this means they are much less likely to reoffend.”
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