The traineeships with mining company Alcoa and earth moving contractor Piacentini and Son are offered at Karnet Prison Farm as part of the Department’s efforts to help prisoners successfully re-join the community.
In nine years of the program, nine of the 11 prisoners who have completed the training have been employed by Piacentini and Son. Four are still working at Alcoa’s Huntly bauxite mine near Jarrahdale.
The course runs over six to eight weeks at the mine. Before the COVID-19 pandemic it was run three times a year.
Karnet Acting Assistant Superintendent Operations Peter Vose said the initiative teaches prisoners job skills which can be instrumental in helping them turn their lives around.
“The traineeships have become highly sought after and the prisoners work hard to prove they are ready when it’s time for recruitment,” he said.
One former prisoner said, “I found the early starts and late finishes good as it not only got me prepared for the workforce, but it also got me out of the prison, and made my final months in prison fly by.”
“From the moment I started the traineeship, all employees and management made me feel very welcome and comfortable,” he said.
“The fact that I was employed after release, which was no guarantee, made it all worthwhile. I now have a new career and it brings great stability and job security for me moving forward.”
Applications for the traineeships are open to minimum-security prisoners who are serving the last six months of their sentence and approved for unsupervised activities outside the prison.
Under selection criteria set by the companies, prisoners must also hold a valid driver’s licence and have no previous experience with heavy duty trucks.
After completing their training, the men can apply for an industry recognised certificate.
The next round of applications, when two trainees will be selected, will open in coming months.
