Work and Vocational Training


Governor David Conroy

Head of Prisoner Services

 

The Irish Prison Service places a strong emphasis on the provision of vocational training activities. Training activities are chosen to give as much employment as possible in prison and to give people opportunities to acquire skills which help secure employment on release.

 

 

Over 120 training workshops operate across the prison estate including printing, computers, braille, woodwork, metalwork, construction, vehicle parts recycling, craft and horticulture.

In addition, people in custody work within essential services to support prisons i.e. catering, laundry services, industrial cleaning and waste management and many of these placements include nationally recognised certification.

The Irish Prison Service has also been expanding the number of accredited courses and opportunities available to people in custody.  Enhanced partnership arrangements with accrediting bodies such as the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) Athlone and The National Construction Training Campus, Mount Lucas.  These collaborations have enabled us to extend the number of available courses and activities with certification including catering and retrofitting.

Several prisons also support charitable organisations and provide a wide range of material and products. Beneficiaries included Barnardo’s, Aware, Temple Street Hospital, Barretstown Gang Camp, the Arts for Peace project, CARI, Crumlin Children’s Hospital, St Joseph’s Centre for the Visually Impaired and HOPE, Bikes for Africa Scheme. Cattle donated by farmers have been raised by people in custody at Shelton Abbey and Loughan House for the charity Bóthar. The Irish Prison Service also operates a number of Men’s Sheds across the prison estate.