Prisoners are making concrete water tanks and septic tanks and learning marketable concrete-casting skills at Wanganui Prison’s precast concrete training scheme.
Production Manager John Hackshaw says the Corrections Inmate Employment training scheme teaches prisoners good work habits, such as working in harmony with others, and leads to jobs once prisoners are released.
“The demand for concrete workers in private sector industries is huge and we have good anecdotal evidence of our lads being employed throughout the country,” John says.
“We have good working arrangements with three waste water engineers - we manufacture their systems and they install them.”
The factory also manufactures pre-cast concrete panels which are now a large part of the business.
“We’ve made panels for various buildings at Wanganui and Manawatu Prisons and we’re working with private sector building companies casting panels for residential developments,” John says.
The scheme currently trains up to 35 prisoners on site and as the business continues to expand this number will increase.
Production Manager John Hackshaw (left) and Instructor
John Karatau with prisoners at the concrete factory.
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ISSN 1178-8453