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Training & 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:

1. Building Construction
2. Mechanical Engineering
3. Information Technology
4. Textiles
5. Furniture Manufacturing
6. Horticulture
7. Braille
8. Upholstery
9. Industrial Cleaning
10. Fabrication & Welding
11. 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.


Useful links
Information booklet on training & employment activities
Catalogue of manufactured goods
N.V.Q publications from awarding bodies
Education in Prison, Recommendation No. R(89)12, Council of Europe.