Training and Employment
Prison workshops provide a range of relevant work-related activities and vocational training opportunities aimed at giving prisoners suitable work experience, knowledge and occupational skills to improve their employability on their return to the community
The training & employment section within our three establishments offer a variety of quality training courses and employment in the following areas:
- Building Construction
- Mechanical Engineering
- Information Technology
- Textiles
- Furniture Manufacturing
- Horticulture
- Braille
- Upholstery
- Industrial Cleaning
- Fabrication & Welding
- Wheelchair
All the above workshops are well resourced in terms of materials tools & equipment to deliver the individual training programme.
Qualified instructional staff have up-to-date knowledge of the sector of industry in which they are delivering training & assessment courses that are recognised by appropriate awarding bodies.
Inmates are given the opportunity, through a sentence plan, to work towards appropriate qualifications, which will meet their needs, and be relevant to the labour markets following release.
Examples of good practice
- In the past few years a wide range of work projects involving schools and local communities has been accomplished, e.g. classroom furniture for Hazlett School.
- The Braille unit at Maghaberry recently made a complete translation of the Church of Ireland revised Church Hymnal - 762 Braille pages comprising 719 hymns.
- Most instructors are qualified NVQ assessors and managers perform the role of coordinator or internal verifier.
- The wheelchair refurbishment workshop takes chairs that have been scrapped by the Health Service and restores them to an acceptable standard for use by overseas charities.
New developments
A programme of integrated quality standards are at development stage and when implemented will provide a system for quality assessing all training & employment activities.
