8 December
Corrections Inmate Employment (CIE) celebrated the successful graduation of eight prisoners with NCEA Building, Construction, and Allied Trade qualifications at Northland Region Corrections Facility (NRCF).
The graduation marks a step towards a brighter future for those involved by helping prisoners address the reasons behind their offending and offering them a way forward through learning usable employment skills.
The Northland NCEA graduates celebrated their success with a supportive graduation ceremony attended by family members and staff from CIE, NRCF, and NorthTec.
CIE Area Manager Don Robertson said by introducing prisoners to basic employment skills the NRCF has helped to build the prisoners’ work experience and teach them trade specific skill sets.
“It’s great to see the prisoners work hard to try and make a difference to their lives through learning new skills.
“We hope that what they’ve learnt can be put to good use and that the prisoners start to see the benefit that their skills can have on their community and themselves.”
Don says that next year because of increased space made available through building expansion, ten four-week courses will be offered allowing 60 prisoners to qualify with NCEA qualifications in Building, Construction, and Allied Trades from the Northland facility.
Don points out that the prisoners are also directly giving back to the community in many other ways.
Recently they produced and donated over 100 cubic meters of firewood to the local Lions Club, the second donation in recent months. The Lions Club in turn will deliver the firewood to the elderly next winter.
Research shows that prisoners who find sustainable employment on release are less likely to re-offend. CIE aims to help prisoners look forward beyond prison by learning skills to change their lives and to live a life without crime.
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