Education provision is given in conjunction with The Manchester College. The courses offered start with basic numeracy and literacy and include a number of vocational opportunities. The prison has 10 workshops and the prisoners work full 4 ½ day week. The jobs available include:
- DHL Canteen: A warehouse operation packing canteen packs for prisons in the North East, employing 40 prisoners
- Laundry, Industrial Laundry processing work for Commercial contracts and all the prisons in the North East Area. This workshop employs up to 50 prisoners on a full time basis.
- Woodmill, Making furniture and other timber products for both the internal and external market, specifically hardwood products, employs up to 16 prisoners
- CNC Assembly, Workshop employing 20 prisoners assembling items of furniture for the internal and external market using the latest in CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) Technology.
- Textiles, Production of prisoners clothing and bedding and also external customers.
- Large Print, Workshop using IT to produce books and posters for the visually impaired, special schools as well as the printing of Safety Guides and Engraved Signs for the local community, Employs 30 prisoners.
- Industrial Cleaning, Full time course based on Houseblock 2 offering the successful trainee a BICS’s (British Institute of Cleaning Sciences) Certificate..
- Joinery/Upholstery, A compact workshop employing 20 prisoners assembling items of furniture and a upholstery unit servicing both internal and external customers.
- Construction, Up to a 30 week course focused on Painting & Decorating. Successful trainees will be professionally coached in every aspect of the Painting and Decorating Industry ranging from Artexing to Wall Papering and beyond.
- Land Based Activities/Waste Management. The Gardens employs 12 prisoners on a full time basis , The Amenity Horticulture covers all aspects of hard and soft landscaping, propagation of plants and seeds, turf maintenance and the care and rejuvenation of artificial sports surfaces.
- Waste Management , Responsible for the collection of all the various waste streams, produced by the prison, segregating the waste and recycling all commodities prior to disposal.
All the workshops provide outreach education and offer the possibility ofobtaining NVQ’s.