AWARD WINNER 2012-13: Adrian is a former Prison Officer and band member who was asked to take on the role of music teacher at Ashfield. He trained in his own time and proved a gifted teacher. Wanting to do something more vocational, he then retrained, on his own initiative, as a plumbing instructor, and in 2006 set up a workshop and plumbing course in the establishment. An inspiration to colleagues and offenders, Adrian has continued to develop his own skills and expand the range of skills he teaches. (This Award is supported by the Helen Hamlyn Trust).

INSPIRE ARTICLE

Adrian Hinsley realised he wanted to motivate young people to become employable. His subsequent efforts earned him a Butler Trust Award.

Having seen the success of vocational subjects in the education department, Adrian identified plumbing as a skill that would help them gain employment or further training when they left Ashfield. He undertook a training course at his own expense and returned to convert a former industrial cleaning workshop to a plumbing workshop, with individual cubicles for young people to learn to install a radiator, sink and toilet – since upgraded to include a complete bathroom bay and shower.

As the project grew, Adrian enabled more than 200 young people to obtain qualifications – a success rate that owes much to his rapport with the young offenders. Not only are his teaching standards excellent, with clear instruction and targets; he also encourages teamwork and fosters a culture of mutual respect.

Adrian has continually developed the course – and enhancing his own skills has enabled him to do this. He has added additional units so that the young people can now obtain a City and Guilds Multicraft qualification, comprising plumbing, bricklaying and carpentry. Realising that some young people would not be able to complete the 12 week course because of release dates or being unable to keep up with the timescales, he set up an enrichment activity on Monday evenings, open to any learner who needed extra time to catch up with their work or gain extra qualifications.

Adrian’s efforts have helped to turn many lives around and fill them with purpose. His Director, Brian Anderson, called him ‘the ultimate role model for the young people at Ashfield.’

For more information: contact HMP/YOI Ashfield