Tool hire firm Speedy Hire has been training prisoners to repair tools for the last two years and its success has resulted in three more UK prisons signing up for its classes.
Speedy's vocational rehabilitation scheme teaches prisoners to repair and maintain tools to manufacturers' standards. Following its success in HMP Garth and HMP Pentonville prisons, the training scheme is now being rolled out to HMP Erlestoke in Wiltshire; HMP Glenochil in Scotland and HMP Swaleside.

Each of the workshops has been set up with the same maintenance facilities as Speedy's tool hire workshops and has a full time Speedy manager based on site to supervise product training and maintenance repairs.

So far, more than 200 inmates have been taught.

The firm's goal is to have 10 partnerships with HM Prison Service by 2010 and to train up a total of 500 inmates in repair and maintenance.

Speedy Hire also considers inmates for jobs in the company on their release. Speedy Hire operates more than 400 depots in the UK and Ireland.

Steve Palmer UK workshops director for Speedy Hire said: 'At Speedy we're committed to training and supporting the development of our own staff and it's great to be able to transfer these core values to this rehabilitation programme'.

He added: 'The scheme gives ex-offenders a second chance to contribute positively - equipping them with an employable skill ahead of their release into the community'.