Federation TAFE in Victoria’s regional city of Ballarat is expanding its provision of education and vocational training services in the state’s prisons and post-sentencing facilities after signing a new six-year agreement with the Department of Justice and Community Safety last month.
The agreement – effective from 1 July 2024 – will see Federation continue to deliver vocational education and training to learners at Langi Kal Kal Prison, Hopkins Correctional Centre and Rivergum and Corella Place post-sentence facilities in the Grampians region. It will also see the delivery of education expand to include facilities in the Barwon Southwest Region, including Barwon Prison, Marngoneet Correctional Centre, and Karreenga Annexe.
The prison delivery model aims to encourage greater personal development, improved self-efficacy, and well-being, with personalised assessments of each student determining the best possible education intervention to boost individual capabilities.
It’s a tailored approach that endeavours to provide learners with the skills needed to be job-ready and improve their chances of gaining sustainable, meaningful post-release employment. With secure employment, opportunities for successful prisoner rehabilitation and reintegration into life away from prison are boosted and the risk of reoffending decreases.
Trade courses on offer
FedUni offers approximately 25 qualifications and short courses at Hopkins and Langi Kal Kal. These programs include adult basic education, such as Certificates in General Education for Adults, Spoken and Written English, and Vocational Preparation, aimed at enhancing prisoners’ literacy, numeracy, and job readiness.
They also provide vocational training that aligns with construction industry employment opportunities with programs including units from the Certificate II in Furniture Making, Certificate II in Construction Pathways, Certificate II in Warehousing Operations, and Certificate II in Horticulture. Short courses in AutoCAD, first aid, and occupational health and safety (OHS) training are also available.
Equitable access to education
By ensuring people in the correctional system access equivalent opportunities to people in the community, Federation aims to prioritise the needs of the most disengaged and disadvantaged learners.
“Federation has supported learners from diverse backgrounds to transform their lives through industry-aligned high-quality vocational education and training for many years. By equipping students in correctional facilities with job-ready and world-ready skills, we are supporting them to secure ongoing post-release employment and a successful future,” says Federation University Australia Provost, Liam Sloan.
“I would like to thank the Department of Justice and Community Safety for choosing Federation TAFE to deliver in their Barwon Southwest Region. Securing this agreement is an endorsement of the fantastic work Federation staff are already doing in educating students within correctional facilities and we look forward to expanding our education delivery to help more learners.”
