“Reducing Re-offending Through Skills and Employment: Next Steps”, published jointly by the former Department for Education and Skills, the Home Office and the Department for Work and Pensions in December 2006 gave a clear commitment to improve the use of technology in delivering teaching and learning to offenders in custody, as well as offering more widespread access to ICT qualifications.
Two test bed regions—the West Midlands and the East of England—will take forward implementation of the programme of action set out in the Next Steps document from this summer, supported by £500,000 of development funding I am making available.