Prison partnership creates student pedal power
HMP Peterborough and ARU Peterborough have teamed up to enable students to access their studies while also supporting the rehabilitation of prisoners.
Staff at ARU Peterborough have recognised that some of their students need additional help to enable them to travel to campus, either due to financial reasons or difficulty accessing public transport.
HMP Peterborough has a fully operational workshop where prisoners are training to recondition discarded bicycles and they are providing several of these bikes to ARU Peterborough who, in turn, are supplying them to the students who will benefit most.
The bikes that are reconditioned by the male prisoners come from a variety of sources, including those abandoned at local shopping centres and the householders waste recycling centre. The men work on the bikes and train to either bronze, silver or gold standard under the Velotech Bike Maintenance course.
Providing employability skills to prisoners during their time in custody helps to prepare them for release. Research has shown that prison-leavers who secure employment, accommodation and have a positive support network are less likely to reoffend in the future.
Sodexo’s Starting Fresh campaign is supporting industries in overcoming skills shortages by creating real employment opportunities for ex-offenders.
Learn more about Starting Fresh