Gone are the days of photocopying and filing, our interns roll up their sleeves and get straight to work.

Over the summer 39 university students and recent graduates joined Corrections as part of our summer internship programme, and ten have stayed on in various contracts.Corrections Interns.

“We’ve had some fantastic people taking part in our internship programme this year. We’re thrilled some of them are staying on with us in both full-time and part-time capacity. As well as this being our largest cohort to date we’re really proud to offer the most internship placements across the entire public sector,”’ says Kim Sperry, Principal Adviser National Recruitment Projects, who manages the intern programme.

During the three-month programme the interns worked across a range of teams, from Finance to the High Risk Response Team, depending on their area of study.

“Interns play a really valuable role in our day-to-day work and they take part in compelling projects which complement their studies, such as our Gang and Women’s strategies.”

Ten of the young people were recruited through TupuToa, which is an internship programme that creates career pathways for Maori and Pasifika students.

“Our internship programme is a two-way street. It gives students experience working within a public sector organisation which aids their study and looks great on their CV, and helps provide them with an income over the summer.

“In turn the programme, now in its fourth year, helps us to tap into a high performing talent pool that provides a fresh perspective on the work we do. It also gives us the opportunity to expand our workforce with people that reflect the diverse communities we serve.”

Hannah McKay, studying towards a postgraduate degree in psychology at Massey University, developed a communications plan for our psychology team to increase the visibility of psychologists within Corrections during her placement.

“This has been my first experience working in an area that’s related to my degree. Working at Corrections has made me step out of my comfort zone and boosted both my skills and confidence.

“I now have a better understanding of how various facets of the Department work, and I was lucky enough to spend time in both prison and Community Corrections environments. I also really enjoyed working with psychologists from all over the country."

Hannah is now working in a full-time role in the Communications Team, alongside completing her studies.