25 Sep Prison Education Firm Shortlisted for Investors In People Award
A company which helps prisoners access education by providing them with laptops they can use in their cells has been shortlisted for a coveted ‘Investors In People’ (IIP) Award.
Coracle, based in Cambridge’s Chesterton Mill, is one of ten companies shortlisted in the award’s ‘social responsibility’ category. This follows Coracle’s King’s Award for Enterprise win in April.
Coracle CEO James Tweed said: “My team and I work with prisoners every day to help them improve their chances of employment through education.
“I think the work we’re doing with prisoners is a vital form of social responsibility. We know that reoffending costs the UK government £18bn a year and that is a massive burden for the UK taxpayer.
“At Coracle, we believe education is good for the prisoner. But it is also good for their families and wider society. A lot of crime takes place close to where the perpetrator lives, so the poorest communities benefit when re-offending is reduced.”
Coracle is currently expanding its workforce to help manage around 2,500 laptops in 86 prisons across England and Wales.
The judging panel for the Investors in People Awards commented: “It is a fantastic initiative and it was great to read the personal testimonies about the way that [Coracle] has enabled people to improve their skills.”
You can find the full shortlist for the Investors In People Awards here. The winners will be announced on November 14th.
