The Ministry of Employment have launched Coracle Inside laptops for use at HMP Windmill Hill.
Coracle Inside is a UK company that provides secure educational and digital platforms approved by
UK Ministry of Justice and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). These assured
locked down laptops are authorised for use by inmates with the primary aim of accessing and
engaging with education, training, developing employability skills, as well as intervention
programmes. In April 2023 Coracle won a King’s Award for Enterprise in the Promoting
Opportunity category.
There are around 2,600 Coracle laptops in use across 90 prisons in England and Wales. The laptops
have a suite of accessibility tools to support learners requiring neurodiversity support, including
text to speech, open dyslexic font and others. They work with over 20 content partners to deliver
digital content that suit the needs of the prison population. This facilitates in cell and classroom
learning in English, Maths, Wood Working, Construction, CV Writing and Interview Skills amongst
others, as well as fitness, meditation and yoga to aid wellbeing.
Coracle Inside’s Contract and Business Development Manager, Kathy Beach, was in Gibraltar to set
up the laptops at the Digital Skills Academy and deliver training to members of the prison service
and Ministry of Employment at HMP.
Minister for Equality, Employment, Culture and Tourism, The Hon. Christian Santos GMD MP, said:
“I am delighted that our Ministry has procured the Coracle Inside laptops for inmates at HMP
Windmill Hill. This is an enhancement of our upskilling initiatives and will work well with existing
programmes such as Professional Advancement Through Holistic Skills (PATHS). We aim to
provide the tools to support educational outcomes, to improve employability and support well
being, and I have no doubt that these laptops will be instrumental in providing a solid foundation to
our inmates in their journey towards rehabilitation and reintegration once outside HMP Windmill
Hill. My most sincere thanks to Kathy for her support during her visit to Gibraltar, to Stewart
Harrison from Digital Skills Academy for facilitating the space to set up the devices, and to senior
management and staff at HMP Windmill Hill for their enthusiasm and support in this project.”
