16 December
The culmination of the Corrections Inmate Employment (CIE) training year at Northland Region Corrections Facility has seen the presentation of 39 National Certificates to prisoners in the last two weeks for vocational training courses.
In the last fortnight, graduations from vocational training courses have included the presentation of ten Level 2 Pre-Trade Certificates in painting and four Level 2 Certificates in forestry, as well as another eight qualifications for General Requirements for forestry work. Nine Level 2 Certificates in Automotive Services and eight Level 3 Certificates in carpentry have also been achieved.
“We’ve had some great successes in our vocational training recently,” says CIE Northland Area Operations Manager Don Robertson. “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 rates are comparable to polytechnic graduation rates.”
Graduations from vocational training courses have been a regular occurrence at Northland Region Corrections Facility over the last year. Since February this year, there have been 105 graduations from painting, forestry, horticulture, automotive and building construction courses, and 118 National Certificates have been gained.
CIE training at Northland Region Corrections Facility is provided in conjunction with the Northland Polytechnic (NorthTec), allowing prisoners to gain New Zealand Qualifications Authority accreditation for various trade skills that have proven industry value.
“These graduations mark 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,” says Don.
Research shows that prisoners who are able to find sustainable work on release are less likely to re-offend.
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