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<p /> <p /> <p>We are taking a number of steps to enhance and build upon the current
learning and skills offer to prisoners. We firmly believe that giving offenders the
skills and training they need to get and keep jobs on release reduces their likelihood
of re-offending.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Officials from the National Offender
Management Service (NOMS) are working with the Skills Funding Agency and providers
of the Offenders' Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) to continually improve the quality
of the teaching and learning experienced by prisoners through the development and
dissemination of good practice. New approaches to literacy in particular include an
increase in the use of peer mentors, embedded learning as part of other regime activities,
and the introduction of aNational Reading Network in association with the Shannon
Trust.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Later this year we will be introducing mandatory
education assessment by the OLASS providers for all newly-received prisoners. This
will ensure that all prisoners, not just those who go on to learning, receive a learning
assessment (focused around literacy and numeracy but also covering learning difficulties
and disabilities). NOMS and its partners are also working towards implementing better
data-sharing arrangements between prisons and OLASS providers, so that more is known
about prisoners' previous assessments, progress, and achievements, as well as their
current educational needs.</p><p> </p><p>Intensive literacy and numeracy courses,
based on the Army's model, have also been piloted in prisons, particularly to address
the needs of prisoners serving short sentences. Prison Governors and OLASS providers
are working together to deliver such courses where appropriate.</p><p> </p><p>Prison
Governors do not have targets regarding the improvement of prisoners' literacy skills.
As noted previously, we are taking considerable steps both to further identify literacy
learning needs and then to address them.</p>
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