Minister for Equality, Employment, Culture and Tourism, the Hon Christian Santos GMD MP, was invited to HMP Windmill Hill to meet the Prison Board in order to discuss employment initiatives for this cohort.

Minister Santos was accompanied by Supported Employment Programme Manager Jolene Gomez, who has been working on this for the past few months.

The Ministry has been working on upskilling packages to be offered via the PATHS programme. These will include general employability, construction, retail, hospitality, health and wellbeing and others. There are also other initiatives being explored for the prison cohort, which will use the facilities already available such as the wood workshop. Applied philosophy, football and alternative therapies are also being looked at.

The Ministry has been working closely with the senior management staff at HMP Windmill Hill on this initiative. An Education Working Group has been established with members of the Gibraltar College of Further Education. A further Prison Working Group includes members of the Probation Team, Community Service and the Ministry of Justice.

Minister Santos was also given a tour of the facilities and thanked the Prison Board for their invitation.