All prisoners will be tested for literacy and numeracy as part of a $78 million plan to improve their education and vocational skills, putting inmates on the path to a job to help keep them from returning to jail.
In a revamp of Victoria’s prison education system, Federation University, Bendigo Kangan Institute and Box Hill Institute will provide classes and training for the next five years.
The funding by the Andrews Labor Government will support prisoners with the lowest levels of literacy and numeracy, as these skills are particularly important when seeking employment.
This is the first time in 20 years that these services have been put out to tender, highlighting the Government’s continuing support for the TAFE sector, with only TAFE and dual-sector universities able to apply.
Currently, more than half of Victorian prisoners don’t have the literacy and numeracy skills to independently participate in the education and training programs needed to improve their employment prospects.
Giving prisoners the vocational skills they need to gain and hold a job upon release will help reduce reoffending rates and keep people out of prison.
The Government’s strong focus on education and skills addresses some of the key recommendations made in the recent Ombudsman’s report on the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Corrections Wade Noonan
"Prisoners face many obstacles when they return to the community, but gaining a job can be the key to leaving behind a life of crime. And to get a job you need skills and qualifications.’’
“We want to reduce the rate at which prisoners reoffend and return to prison, so addressing basic skill needs such as improving reading, writing and numeracy will become a priority."
"It's not possible to create a safer community without addressing some causal factors, such as social disadvantage, and poor education attainment levels."
Reviewed 19 August 2020