In Partnership With
Liverpool John Moores University
Lived experience. Professional delivery. Practical support. The person behind Beyond The Gate Training Academy.
Founder & Lead Mentor
Lee's story is not presented as theory. It is a practical example of accountability, discipline and rebuilding a life with purpose.
Lee Orrell brings a unique combination of lived experience, resilience, and more than 20 years of business leadership to Beyond The Gate Training Academy. Having experienced the prison system firsthand as a former prisoner himself, Lee understands the challenges that serving prisoners face and the barriers many encounter when preparing for life after release.
Alongside this personal journey, Lee has built a successful career spanning over 20 years in senior management positions within blue-chip organisations, through to serving as Managing Director and CEO of his own successful businesses prior to his imprisonment.
Drawing on the lessons learned from both adversity and achievement, Lee is passionate about creating opportunities for others. Through Beyond The Gate Training Academy, he is committed to equipping serving prisoners with practical, industry-relevant skills, confidence, and the mindset needed to bring their business ideas to life upon release, and to help them reintegrate into society.
Learners hear from someone who understands the journey and can speak without judgement.
Sessions link directly to work, communication, planning and personal responsibility.
Delivery is built around clear modules, learner outputs and post-release follow-up.
Learners are more likely to engage when the person leading the session understands the reality of custody, release and rebuilding.
The delivery can be honest about responsibility, discipline and change without sounding distant or unrealistic.
Sessions stay focused on practical next steps: confidence, communication, employability, enterprise and accountability.
Focused on practical outcomes rather than theory. The programme sits at the intersection of credibility and structure.
Lived experience helps reduce defensiveness. Learners are more likely to listen when the message comes from someone who understands both the consequences of poor choices and the discipline needed to rebuild. The delivery position removes the distance between instructor and learner.
The programme brings credibility into the room while remaining structured, professional and aligned to education, employability and resettlement objectives. Partners receive clear outputs, progression notes and a delivery model built around measurable outcomes.
Beyond The Gate works with HM Prisons, Probation Services and rehabilitation partners. Get in touch to discuss how the programme can work for your learners.