Premier Partnership were approached to support the HMPPS Staff Upskilling Project which is a comprehensive initiative aimed at enhancing the skills and qualifications of the current delivery staff members across His Majesty's Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS). 

HMPPS are responsible for managing prisons and probation services in England. To improve the capabilities of its staff, the Education, Skills & Work Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Lead initiated the HMPPS Staff Upskilling Project. This project was driven by a need to empower staff with the right qualifications and skills to better serve within the challenging environment of HMPPS facilities.

The project began with HMPPS engaging its staff members to identify their interests, prior learning, and additional educational requirements, then in mid-July, they sought the expertise and support of Premier Partnership to execute this large-scale upskilling initiative.

After initial meetings, HMPPS and Premier Partnership finalised the selection of four qualifications to offer to the staff members:

   - City & Guilds Level 3 Award in Education and Training

   - City & Guilds Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training

   - City & Guilds Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement

   - City & Guilds Level 4 Award in Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice

Premier Partnership played a crucial role in assisting HMPPS in crafting internal communications. This was essential because some learners were contacted in July, but their qualifications wouldn't commence until October/November. This careful timing was necessary to accommodate staffing constraints, including annual leave, and ensure learner availability and dedication.

The HMPPS Staff Upskilling Project encompasses 19 cohorts across the four selected qualifications. Seventeen of these cohorts commenced between September 13th and October 26th, with two more cohorts scheduled for delivery in November.

In collaboration with with HMPPS, Premier Partnership organised the delivery of the qualifications, with 11 of the cohorts conducted face-to-face across multiple locations, covering a geographical span from Stockton-on-Tees, London, Shaftesbury, and the Isle of Sheppey.

As of the time this case study was conducted, the project had been running for seven weeks, and learners were set to start submitting their work in the New Year. It's important to note that the project's true impact will become clearer once learners complete their qualifications and begin applying their enhanced skills in the HMPPS environment. Across the 17 cohorts, there will be a total of 9 trainers and 113 learners involved in the project.

The collaboration between HMPPS and Premier Partnership has been praised by Nic Turner, the HMPPS Education, Skills & Work CPD Lead. “HM Prison and Probation Service’s (HMPPS) Prisoner Education Service Workforce Team have been working with Premier Partnership on the delivery of 4 qualifications to HMPPS staff. This has been a significant undertaking, with 16 cohorts commencing delivery throughout September and October, encompassing 113 learners, a mixture of virtual learning sessions, and face-to-face learning sessions at 8 of our learning centres throughout England. Our experience of working with Premier Partnership throughout has been very positive, from initial discussion of individual and bespoke needs for our workforce to the delivery of courses, they have been helpful, accommodating, and flexible in response to both our organisational and learner requirements, which has made co-ordination of our qualifications offer easier. The support provided by Premier Partnership has been excellent, this has featured regular phone and email contact with a specific point of contact and enabled proactive resolution of issues as they have arisen. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank the trainers who have been delivering the qualifications and Rebecca Dyson for working constructively with us to co-ordinate delivery.”

The HMPPS Staff Upskilling Project is a substantial initiative focused on upskilling HMPPS staff members with relevant qualifications. The collaboration between HMPPS and Premier Partnership in delivering this project has been instrumental in its success. As the learners progress in their qualifications and apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills, the long-term benefits to HMPPS and its staff are expected to become even more apparent.

For more information on our range of qualifications : CLICK HERE