Staffordshire University teaches degree course in prison

In a lecture theatre in Staffordshire, 15 students are at an induction session for a new foundation degree. They talk about their upcoming modules, which include law, crime and criminal psychology, while nearby all the usual campus facilities – library, medical centre, gym, football pitches – are filled with people. But this is a far cry from the UK's other seats of higher education: the residents at this site include murderers, rapists and thieves. This is Dovegate prison in Staffordshire, and the undergraduates are prison officers embarking on Britain's first workplace foundation degree in offender management, run by Staffordshire University and Stafford College.

The group includes prison custody officers and an assistant director. Some are bosses, others junior members of staff, but all are having to switch from barking orders all day to listening to instructions in the classroom.

"It's going to be a bit of a challenge," admits Gillian Curtis, 29, a custodial officer at Dovegate. "Switching from organising prisoners, being in charge and running their lives, to going back to school will be difficult. I'm going to be the one who has to listen and produce the work demanded of me, plus ask for support and advice, rather than giving it out to prisoners all day, as I'm used to."

Yet Curtis is filled with excitement at the prospect of starting the degree. "I left school at 16 and worked as an administrator at a car finance firm, but always regretted missing out on university," she says. "I've done NVQs in custodial management while working at the prison, but it's something completely different to get a degree. I'm a bit scared but mostly can't wait to start studying."

The officers attend lectures at the prison's learning suite during working hours. And with all their course fees and textbooks paid for by Serco, the private company that runs Dovegate on the government's behalf, the students hope they can use the degree to ultimately boost their own earnings. Damian Holdcroft, 34, a unit manager at the prison, explains: "I hope [the degree] will give me a better understanding of how we and external agencies like the probation service might work together. The government is very keen on performance-related pay – and if we can work together to better rehabilitate offenders, then everyone benefits."

The new tuition-fee regime for undergraduates to be introduced next year means universities are increasingly focused on developing workplace degrees in conjunction with businesses, according to Michelle Hammond, a law lecturer at Staffordshire University, who wrote a module on the offender's journey through the criminal justice system for the Dovegate degree. "This is definitely a developing area for our sector," she says. "Working with employers and organisations to develop courses also widens access to education for people who would not automatically consider going into higher education, and helps students who haven't been involved in education for a long time."

Alex Benton, 35, one of the Dovegate undergraduates, joined the prison in September after being made redundant from his job in sales. "I come from a normal working-class family, and going on to college when I was 16 just wasn't an option," he says. "I needed to bring in money for the house. I started working in sales aged 16, and worked my way up for the next 18 years. But my world crashed around my feet during the recession when I was made redundant. I've got two children and a mortgage. I was desperate."

Benton got a job as a security officer at Dovegate and worked his way up to prison custody officer. He now looks after up to 96 prisoners, unlocking their cells in the morning, organising their meals, work and exercise, and locking them up at night. But he hopes for more career progression with the help of his degree.

"As soon as I arrived at Dovegate I was presented with training opportunities and NVQs," says Benton. "It was great – I never dreamed of a job where people would actually be willing to work with you and help you improve yourself. This degree is a huge deal for me. I always wanted to go on to higher education but never had the opportunity before. Now, I'm going to work so hard on this degree. As much as the lecturers are willing to give me, I'm willing to give back. I'm putting all my hopes in it to better my prospects."