With classroom-based learning, prisoners get a head-
start at the theory before they reach the workshop.
Prisoners will be heading to the classroom and opening up the text books as a new initiative to upskill prisoners in employment-related training.
The first engineering classroom-based training was introduced as a pilot programme at the end of June at Christchurch Men’s Prison. A total of 21 prisoners attend training five days a week for a total of four hours with one session in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Two instructors from Christchurch Polytech are instructing the course which provides NZQA Unit Standards towards a national certificate in mechanical engineering (Level 2).
Southern Engineering Manager Bruce Hartley says the training is an effective way of providing prisoners with core theoretical skills before they enter the workshop.
“Prisoners who wouldn’t normally be able to participate in the workshop, due to their security classification, can now gain valuable skills that will provide them with a heads start when they are able to work within the engineering workshop,” Bruce said.
“Many prisoners have no experience in industry training and many of them are so proud of their achievements they are asking to keep their assessment papers as proof of their hard work.”
The pilot programme will continue until the end of September with the remainder of the training to be undertaken within the workshop. Corrections is presently recruiting new instructors and establishing new facilities to implement ongoing classroom-based training at Christchurch.
Classroom style industry training is a new initiative of the Prisoner Employment Strategy that aims to target prisoners who are not currently engaged in employment or employment related activities due to their security classification.
The initiative has also been implemented at Christchurch Women’s Prison, with approximately 30 prisoners working towards obtaining NZQA Unit qualifications contributing to a National Certificate in Hospitality (Introductory Cookery) Level 2.
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ISSN 1178-8453