Employment opportunities in radio for former HMP Isis and HMP Brixton learner

A former learner who originally served their sentence at HMP Isis and later transferred to HMP Brixton, has successfully found employment opportunities in radio upon release, thanks to the support he received from Novus and National Prison Radio whilst in prison.  

Engaging in the radio broadcast course at HMP Isis

Whilst at HMP Isis, the learner expressed interest in enrolling on the Radio Broadcast course to Jason, the course tutor. Once enrolled on the course, it was clear that the learner had a natural talent for radio.

Whilst in class, the learner listened, took constructive criticism, and created high-quality work by producing radio programmes using skills such as researching, scripting, recording and editing whilst using industry-standard equipment. 

The learner completed the radio broadcasting course and gained a NCFE radio broadcasting qualification, before being transferred to HMP Brixton, the hub of National Prison Radio. 

Working for National Prison Radio at HMP Brixton 

Once transferred to HMP Brixton, Jason contacted the staff at National Prison Radio to keep an eye out for the learner, expressing that he would be a great fit for the National Prison Radio team. The learner then subsequently worked as a producer/presenter on National Prison Radio for the remainder of his sentence. 

Upon release, the former learner had the opportunity to work as a trainee for the Prison Radio Association, which included a work-experience placement with BBC Radio 1Xtra. He then applied for the BBC ‘Where it begins’ radio scheme and beat 399 other talented people to get onto this scheme and had a fantastic experience. The scheme has now come to an end and the former learner is now working as a freelance content assistant and doing really well. 

Thanks to the support and employment opportunities the former learner received whilst in prison, he was able to successfully find employment opportunities upon release in the industry that he wanted to work in. 

Taking part in education courses such as the Radio Broadcast course and taking advantage of all employment opportunities whilst in prison, has enabled the former learner to not only develop his skills and gain qualifications in radio, but has also given him the tools and experience necessary to work in an industry that he is passionate about. 

Jason, the radio broadcast course tutor at HMP Isis, commented positively on the former learner’s journey:

“We don’t often get to hear the journeys of the men we work with once they leave the prison estate so it’s really special to be able to tell this story, of someone who made the decision to make a change and has achieved great success – in just one year!” 

To learn more about our projects and initiatives, take a look at the news section on the website.