20 July
Trade training at Rimutaka Prison has been expanded, with a 17 week bricklaying course starting this week. The course is part of an extension to the training currently offered at the site to ensure learning opportunities for prisoners.
The Corrections Inmate Employment course offers 15 places for prisoners to gain their Level 2 National Certificate in brick and block laying, with 2 courses offered every year.
The course is run in partnership with Weltec under the Trade and Technical Training funding scheme which allows Polytechnics to deliver training within prisons.
“This is a great opportunity for prisoners to learn new skills in brand new purpose built facilities,” says National Prisoner Training Manager Saen O’Brien.
“The course revolves around a series of projects created in the workshop mirroring projects that would be undertaken in the Weltec Petone campus, or in an apprenticeship. The course also uses recyclable lime mortar allowing nearly all of the course materials to be reused.
“The courses will be run to help target prisoners that have very limited employment skills and will represent the first steps in gaining full national qualifications.
“The new facilities will add to the existing three Trade and Technical Training workshops already based in Rimutaka offering Building, Construction and Allied Trade Skills Carpentry, Painting & Decorating, and Small Motors training courses.
“The wide range of Corrections Inmate Employment courses offers prisoners a variety workplace skills and experiences that the majority of them have not had before.
“Trainees will construct a series of increasingly complicated brick or block laying projects starting from basic safety practices, use of hand and power tools through to construction of complicated BBQ's, fireplaces, staircases, and other brick and block features.
“These skills are an important first step as research shows that prisoners who find sustainable work once they are released are less likely to re-offend.”
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