AN EDUCATIONAL facility in Princetown at Dartmoor Prison has teamed up with Devon Libraries in Tavistock to provide learning courses and training for the public as well as library staff.

The Union Learning Centre is directly linked to the Prison Officers Association (POA), and provides free learning, skills and development opportunities for all staff, their families as well as the isolated community.

Open to non-union staff since it opened in 2010, it has achieved more than 800 'learner starts' from both staff and the local community to help them improve and acquire new skills to improve their work prospects.

It has now expanded its services into the local Tavistock community via Tavistock Library.

Andy Harding, the POA learning centre manager at HMP Dartmoor has signed a new learning agreement with Devon Libraries area manager Jill Currie, with the aim of providing POA Learning courses and training to Devon libraries.

He said:?'We are also working with the Job Club at the library. Anyone there is welcome — if they need help with learning skills we will try to accommodate them.'

Mr Harding said the courses were not all computer based, so the possession of computer skills were not necessary.

This agreement will ensure that both community-based library service users as well as library staff will have full access to all the learning and up skilling opportunities that POA Learning/Union Learn, can provide free.

Initial POA Learning sessions start this month in Tavistock Library with POA learning support worker Ivan Judd.

Mr Harding said: 'Having now achieved well more than 1,000 learner starts since 2010 from our centre at HMP Dartmoor, moving into the Tavistock community will enable us to our extend provision further.

'Working construc-tively with Devon Libraries will enable POA Learning to make our mark within the local rural community whilst at the same time positively adding to the services that Devon Libraries provides.'