- demand for prison officer graduate scheme soars
- 750 graduates recruited through Unlocked Graduate scheme
- Lord Chancellor met new recruits as largest ever recruitment
drive gets underway
Unlocked Graduates, which encourages the best and brightest
university leavers to become prison officers, is now receiving 30
applications per place on average. Since the scheme launched in
2016, successful candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds
have worked with 20,000 prisoners in 37 prisons across England
and Wales.
Speaking at the Summer Institute event for trainees at Leeds
Trinity University on Tuesday (29 August 2023), the Lord
Chancellor, , thanked new officers for their
hard work which will help protect the public and drive down the
£18 billion a year cost of reoffending.
The rise in applications is in part due to the positive
reputation of the programme - 100 per cent of participants who
complete feedback surveys rated the training as good or above and
100 per cent of Governors that Unlocked work with want another
cohort.
Earlier this month new statistics showed the overall number of
prison officers has increased by 700 since June last year. They
will join up to 5,000 extra officers in private and public
prisons by the mid-2020s being recruited through the Prison
Service’s largest ever recruitment drive and a major campaign
beginning later this year.
The campaign comes on top of a recent 7% pay rise for frontline
officers to reward current staff for their vital work. The
increase adds to a major boost in starting salaries in recent
years, which now stands at £30,902 compared to £22,293 in 2019.
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, KC, said:
Becoming a prison officer is a hugely important and rewarding
career, protecting the public and changing lives for the better.
It is encouraging to see so much talent joining our prison
service, and we will build on this by continuing to improve pay
and by launching our largest ever recruitment drive.
A brand-new cohort of more than 100 aspiring prison officers
attended the event marking the end of a 6 week intensive training
programme, preparing them for their first day on the prison
wings. This is the first step of a wider two-year Graduate
Development Programme.
When they arrive on prison landings the recruits will be doing
more than just ensuring safety and security, many will support
prisoners into employment which is vital in breaking the cycle of
crime. Thanks in part to the hard work of prison staff, the
number of ex-offenders who have been successfully steered into
jobs within 6 months post release has more than doubled from 14%
to 30% since April 2021.
As a result of programmes such as Unlocked Graduates, being a
prison officer is an attractive graduate profession in the UK
alongside more traditional careers such as teaching or law.
Natasha Porter OBE, Founder and CEO of Unlocked Graduates, said:
Since 2017, Unlocked Graduates has recruited, trained and
supported over 750 high-flying graduates to become prison
officers relentlessly focused on reducing reoffending.
High quality prisons with excellent prison officers make our
streets and society safer. We want to make sure the best people
join the prison service. Through our graduate programme, top
talent can develop incredible leadership skills while working to
reduce crime. It’s fantastic to see so many people are competing
for a place on Unlocked Graduates, and I continue to be very
excited about the impact the incredible people who join our
programme are able to have. We can only achieve this level of
success thanks to the support of the Ministry of Justice, and we
are hugely grateful to the Lord Chancellor for visiting our
training.
Former Unlocked Graduate Kat Gartland added:
Before I came across Unlocked, I’d never considered a career in
the prison service. Now, I can’t see myself doing anything else.
Every day I know I am contributing towards breaking cycles of
reoffending and helping those in my care. Applying for Unlocked
Graduates was the best decision I’ve made – I got the chance to
develop as a leader from day one, alongside a master’s and
lifelong friends. I’d encourage everyone to apply.
Participants in the programme are supported and developed through
intensive mentoring and a programme of study that results in a
Master’s degree. They complete this while taking on the full
duties of a frontline Band 3 Prison Officer. Graduates also have
the opportunity to input into policy and create lasting change
across prisons.
To learn more about the Unlocked Graduates scheme and apply,
visit Unlocked Graduates (unlockedgrads.org.uk). For wider
information on the role of a prison officer, go to
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/prison-officer.
