Coracle Inside

Providing education opportunities in prisons to reduce the digital skills gap

Coracle is an e-learning business on a mission to ensure no-one is isolated from learning opportunities. The company started providing digital systems that enable those working at sea to study and gain qualifications without internet access.

But Coracle founder, James Tweed, was interested in the role of education in reducing crime, reoffending and inequality. Prisoners have no internet access and limited education opportunities – meaning most are released with few skills and no CV.

The team adapted the system and created Coracle Inside, an offline virtual learning environment, allowing inmates to use laptops and safely access content offline from organisations such as The Open University and Prison Education Trust.

Coracle has been awarded the prestigious King’s Award for Promoting Opportunity through Social Mobility.

With the support of the Innovate UK Inclusive Innovation Award, Coracle aims to tackle the digital skills gap, as James explains:

“We want to help more people gain access to education and develop digital skills. By helping prisoners, we hope to help them leave a life of crime. Currently, the UK loses £18bn per year in reoffending, so the benefit to society and the taxpayer would be tremendous.”

As one of the few companies approved by the Ministry of Justice and HM Prisons and Probation Service, Coracle are moving into 85 prisons across England and Wales and will soon have over 2500 laptops in use.