Jobs expo holds out hope for inmates
BREAKING down barriers between people who have histories of offending and possible employers was the goal at this year’s Otago Correctional Facility Careers Expo.
The careers expo, held yesterday, was an opportunity for 40 soontobereleased inmates at the Otago Corrections Facility in Milburn to interact with possible employers in the hopes of securing a job.
About 25 representatives from 17 organisations, two of them tertiary institutions, took part in a speedrecruiting session and meetandgreet, to talk to inmates about the possibility of future employment.
Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis said since October 2017,
2800 inmates in New Zealand, including 500 from Dunedin, had been employed under the Department of Corrections’ This Way For Work pilot scheme.
‘‘Prisons shouldn’t be places of punishment but rather rehabilitation and we want to see things done differently.
‘‘A key way to do this is through employment.
‘‘Being employed is known to give people a sense of purpose and prisoners are no different. They gain a sense of satisfaction
knowing they are earning money and contributing to society.’’
Mr Davis said a similar event was held in Auckland and three women were offered jobs on the spot.
‘‘Hopefully, a similar thing can happen here today.’’
Calder Stewart general manager
of people Denise Cooper said she was at the expo as an employer because she knew the system set up worked and was successful in identifying and connecting her with prisoners who could be employed.
‘‘We’ve employed about six people since 2011 so I have full
confidence in the programme.
‘‘All we look for is people who can get out of bed in the morning and work hard.’’
A prisoner, who could not be identified, said he gained confidence by going through the interview process.
‘‘It’s excellent to have employers here and it’s just like what you’ll deal with on the outside.’’
‘‘I’ve done everything I can in prison to better myself and this gives me a chance to tell potential employers about it.’’