The immediate aim of this scheme is to recruit cohorts annually of between 80-120 talented graduates into Prison Officer roles in HMPPS, this will initially be for a minimum of three cohorts. Learners will be given additional training and development in the form of a bespoke Master’s level qualification that enables them to bring about positive change at the front line. The long-term aim is for the graduates of this scheme to remain within the organisation and continue to progress their career within HMPPS and the wider MoJ. The Authority is looking for a Supplier who is able to recruit suitable candidates to enrol to the scheme, deliver the Master’s qualification, deliver Prison Officer Entry Level Training (POELT) (in conjunction with the authority who will provide trainers and learning materials) and provide support to the graduates throughout the two-year scheme. The supplier will build a sense of belonging to HMPPS and develop a retention strategy to retain graduates within HMPPS and the MoJ upon completion of the scheme. The Supplier will be responsible for the design and delivery of the Master’s level qualification, but this may be subcontracted through other partnerships.

The Supplier must design a marketing and recruitment process which attracts a diverse range of highly talented graduates within HMPPS. The recruitment cycle must begin in September 2022 with the first cohort of graduates starting the scheme in September 2023.

This will be a two-year scheme during which graduates must complete the POELT within the first 2 months, and then proceed to completing the bespoke Applied Master’s that allows academic learning to be put into practise whilst working full time as a Prison Officer. The Supplier must create an innovative and engaging training programme which incorporates the required elements of the POELT seamlessly. Having completed POELT, graduates will be placed into a prison and then conduct a series of placements in different departments within that prison. The Supplier must build relationships with the host prisons in order to manage these moves. For the final three to six months of the scheme graduates will experience a broader range of placements or conduct a project. This final three to six-month period should help them to achieve the next step in their career upon graduation from the scheme. This will be an intensive development scheme. The Supplier must create a wraparound support system for graduates to ensure they are supported in all elements of the scheme, both academic and operational.