16 April
Corrections Inmate Employment (CIE) has celebrated the graduation of 11 prisoners who gained Building Construction and Allied Trades (BCAT) Level 2 National Certificates at Northland Region Corrections Facility.
The graduation marks a step towards a brighter future for the prisoners involved by teaching them trade specific skills, and building their work experience to assist them in finding sustainable employment once they leave prison.
“The building sector is facing a serious shortage of skilled labour. A vocational training course like the BCAT programme can be valuable for prisoners in helping them find employment upon release,” says CIE Area Manager Don Robertson.
“The 10-week BCAT course is taught in partnership with NorthTec, and is run at a purpose built workshop facility at the prison. Around 60 prisoners from Northland Region Corrections Facility participate in the programme every year.”
The course is regarded as an introduction to joinery and construction, and gives students a broad understanding of building processes, the tools and the terminology used in the trade.
Of the 11 prisoners who graduated 10 have also completed and obtained forklift driving licences.
“Outcomes like these serve as positive examples of the kind of doors CIE training can open for prisoners. Although many of our prisoners enter the system with low levels of literacy and numeracy and no formal qualifications, our completion and graduation rate for BCAT courses are comparable to polytechnic graduation rates.
“It just goes to show that what these prisoners are learning with CIE can be put to good use once they start to see the benefit that their skills can have on their community and themselves,” Don says.
The BCAT programme is run at Manawatu and Rimutaka prisons by UCOL and WELTEC respectively. It is also run at other CIE sites with the support of WELTEC.
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