Prison governors are to receive more autonomy when it comes to the educational opportunities offered in their institutions, the government has said.

In its education and employment strategy, published this morning, the Ministry of Justice says that “the first step on a prisoner’s path to employment on release is acquiring the right skills”, and “this makes effective and relevant training in prison vital”.

In line with most of the recommendations of Dame Sally Coates’ review of prison education, published two years ago, the government pledges that there should be consistency across the prison estate so that prisoners can move from one prison to another without disrupting their education. Central government will set minimum standards and expectations.

However, governors “know their own prisoners best and, given the right tools, are in the best position to ensure that training is relevant to the requirements of employers”.

Prison education strategy: key points

• Empower governors to commission the education provision most likely to meet employers’ requirements and prisoners’ needs.
• A significant reduction in the level of regulation regarding how and where education budgets are spent.
• New mandated personal learning plans, offering a consistent digital format across the prison estate from which data can be collected and monitored to understand prisoners’ progress.
• Establish the prisoner apprenticeship pathway as a new vocational route.
• Couple greater powers for governors with greater accountability for performance.
• The current National Careers Service prison contract will not be extended.