A joint initiative between the Department and Curtin University, ITEC is a pilot in-prison academic study program providing a pathway to higher education opportunities.
The bridging course, which has been tailored to Indigenous prisoners, runs for 12 months and is delivered at participating prison education facilities by Curtin tutors with support from the Department’s education staff.
Seven prisoners from Bandyup Women’s Prison (six) and Boronia Pre-Release Centre for Women (one) and six prisoners from Casuarina Prison will begin their ITEC journey this year, while Greenough Regional Prison will roll out its inaugural ITEC program in 2023 with two prisoners.
Casuarina produced 10 successful ITEC graduates in 2021 and 2022 despite COVID-19 lockdowns.
Female prisoners who successfully complete the course will be among the first cohort to have done so and will hopefully pave the way for others to follow.
“We see them transform from thinking of themselves as a criminal to ‘I’m a student’ and that’s a huge shift,” Acting Director of the Department’s Education, Employment and Transitional Services (EETS) Abdul Abdullah said.
“They’re on a journey of self-improvement, looking forward to a future that’s better than the past.”
Curtin’s Centre for Aboriginal Studies and course co-ordinator Ana Blazey said ITEC was designed to help “scaffold students to upskill academically, even if they start at a lower level due to having less educational opportunities previously”.
The prisoners earned their place in ITEC after gaining a pre-qualification Certificate II in literacy and successfully applying to the Department’s Tertiary Studies Assessment Committee for approval to enrol.
“In prison I’ve had time to reflect on my past and to think about what changes I need to make for a better future,” a Bandyup ITEC applicant said. “I’ve literally been waiting for an opportunity like this.”
In addition, four Casuarina Indigenous prisoners have applied to commence undergraduate studies after completing ITEC.
The ITEC and the UniReady Enabling Program bridging courses form part of the Department’s new Learning Partnership memorandum of understanding with Curtin.
“Learning can depend so much on the relationship with your teacher, so I think the in-reach model of both ITEC and UniReady is fantastic,” EETS External Partnerships Co-ordinator Fiona McGregor said.
“Sending tutors in has made all the difference to our Indigenous students. They are voting with their feet and coming into class.
“The collegiate, collaborative nature of in-person taught classes seems to appeal to them much more than working individually on a laptop.
“The style of delivery and learning is culturally appropriate as well as the content.”
