Prison learners heralded for their achievements

Two young men training through St Giles Trust in prisons in East Anglia have won awards for their efforts to transform their lives through learning.

Both of them won Big Skill awards, organised by the Learning and Skills Council in partnership with BBC East, which reward efforts by individuals who have improved their own lives or those of others through learning. They were nominated by St Giles Trust staff with whom they have been working during their sentences.

Both young men have worked with St Giles Trust to become Peer Advisors under our Peer Advice Project, which trains serving prisoners to NVQ Level 3 in Information, Advice and Guidance, enabling them to become skilled advice workers and provide an advice service to other prisoners.

One winner has achieved some 60 certificates during his five year sentence despite leaving school at 16 with no qualifications. He has now embarked on a course to become an adult teacher and qualified counsellor with the ultimate aim of becoming a youth worker on his release from prison.

He says: “Learning means everything to me - it has changed my life. It has made me a different person in general and has given me so much motivation to keep on learning and looking forward to my life.”

Another young winner has discovered a passion for working with people with disabilities as a result of his learning, running both a literacy group and a gym session for people with learning disabilities. He has recently embarked on a sign language course to further enhance his skills.

He says: “I turned my back on learning at an early age and regret it terribly. Learning now means I am able to prove to myself what so many people always told me – I can do whatever I put my mind to.”

“Congratulations to both of these lads on their well-deserved wins,” said Rob Owen, Chief Executive of St Giles Trust. “They prove that prison can present an opportunity for people to change and improve their prospects for the future. That is why it is so important to continue to invest in services that help prisoners to move their lives forward in a positive way.”

The two members of St Giles Trust staff who had nominated the young men collected the awards on their behalf at separate Big Skill Award events in Norwich and Chelmsford.