Social issues
Two major companies have signed up to undertake graduates of a program that teaches prisoners code
Prisoners are learning coding, communication, and connectivity at the Southern Auckland Correctional Facility in a program by the social enterprise Take2 aimed at facilitating a return to the workforce.
This program teaches prisoner website development and life skills. The tool hopes to pave the way for work in the technology sector at the time of release.
Take2 founder Cameron Smith began the program in view of the need for training to reduce New Zealand’s relatively high recidivism rates and the huge barriers that could interfere with prisoners seeking employment at the time of release.
However, although he and his team have been lagging behind the training program for two years, their ability to return to the workforce is hampered if the big tech players don’t play the ball.
This was achieved by companies such as Spark, Datacom, and RUSH offering Take2 graduates a six-month apprenticeship in their coding-related roles.
According to Smith, the first graduate was hired by Datacom about two months ago.
“So far, all the feedback is good,” he said.
The apprenticeship program comes with a playbook provided to employers that shows the best way for technical employers to set up the latest employees to succeed when embarking on their first post-prison job. I did.
The step-by-step guide was created in consultation with industry and community experts, corrections bureaus, current employment partners, Maori cultural advisors, and current and former Take2 students.
Smith was urged to set up Take2 to address the systematic challenges faced by prisoners at the end of his sentence. Prisoners are often locked out of work conflicts from the word “go” because of total bans.
“There are total bans, but there may also be personal prejudices,” Smith said. “We are working with employers to understand what their concerns are.”
Inspired by Last Mile, a US-based social enterprise with similar tactics, Smith not only needs workers in this sector, but because of the widespread and useful skills it teaches. I found the coding to be particularly useful.
“Coding is problem-solving and troubleshooting, so the skills they acquire have their own abstract applications,” he said.
And, of course, the technology industry needs skilled workers.
“The labor shortage does more than just provide opportunities for the people in the program,” Smith said. “The judicial system also has a huge amount of human capital.”
According to the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, software developers are currently in high demand as job vacancies continue to grow. Meanwhile, its role in web development remains on the long-term skills shortage list, and worker deaths in this sector have only been exacerbated by border closures over the past two years.
Smith claims that there is an entire cohort of people who can fill these gaps in the prison system-at the same time giving people the opportunity to continue their lives after they spend their time.
“For many of our students, taking the first step to a corporate job can be very difficult,” he said. “But nevertheless, we know how devoted and driven they are to creating a better future for themselves and their Whānau.”
The stigma faced by prisoners in job interviews is a familiar and important issue for Take2’s advisor and development coach, Dr. Paulwood.
That’s because he was put in jail for murder for 10 years from the age of 19. With the opportunity to access internal education, he had a bachelor’s and master’s degree in psychology and his PhD when he was released.
He said his good results are possible only thanks to the support he received, such as the company he was willing to give him a chance after he left.
“I can’t explain the amount of loyalty you have to them,” he said. “You are very grateful for this opportunity.”
In the engineering sector, where turnover is a major issue, I suggested that by providing someone with the opportunity to return to the workforce, we can create loyal workers for the rest of our lives.
“If the place I was working in didn’t give me an opportunity, I wouldn’t have taken advantage of my potential,” he said. “That’s very valuable. These organizations give people the opportunity to grow and change.”
Wood does not consider his positive results (now motivational speakers and community supporters) to be different from the others. It was his father’s support that helped him continue his studies and was fortunate enough to find hopes and aspirations, giving him the confidence to turn things around.
However, this system is not set up for many prisoners to produce these positive results. The reality is probably most clearly summarized by the recidivism rate.
According to the Ministry of Justice, about 70% of previously convicted New Zealanders were convicted within two years of their release, and just under half were re-imprisoned two years after their release.
According to Wood, a program like Take2 can start a big job of dealing with this by giving him more of the lucky chances he had.
“Take2 provides the whole body ingredients people need to get the same results as I do,” he said.
Students who attended the program said it was stressful to learn something that wasn’t intuitive, but the course gave them the confidence to develop their skills.
“As we progressed, we quickly got it, and as we learned more and more challenging techniques, we knew what we could expect,” they said. “It turned out to be a similar experience for freshmen. This experience gave me enough confidence to continue coding in the community and embrace future challenges.”
Jolie Hodson, CEO of Spark, said it’s important that everyone has the tools to access the important role of technology in the future of the country.
“Technology has the power to break down barriers, but we can also create technology for people who don’t have the access or skills to use it,” she said. “Take2’s life-changing program provides some of the most vulnerable citizens with the opportunity to join Aotearoa’s technology sector and benefit from the significant growth of their digital careers in the future.”
Meanwhile, Justin Gray, Managing Director of Datacom New Zealand, said Take2’s mission is in line with Datacom’s desire for greater equity and participation in the technology sector.
“Our team is excited to play a role in providing prisoners with the opportunity to acquire new skills in a fast-growing industry that has the potential to start a new life and succeed for a variety of reasons. “Career,” he said.