As part of our Government’s significant recruitment campaign to bolster Tasmania’s Prison Service (TPS), 22 new recruits have today commenced their training to become Correctional Officers.
The new recruits come from a diverse range of backgrounds with experience in trades, security, disability support, retail, banking, hairdressing, fitness, and hospitality.
Recruits will undertake an intensive 10 week course that combines classroom-based learning, practical training activities, and job placements across various posts within the prison system.
Following their graduation in February 2022, the recruits will commence work in facilities across the TPS, with some expected to be posted to the new Southern Remand Centre when it opens soon after.
Recruits have been selected following a comprehensive recruitment campaign undertaken by the TPS, targeting individuals who were looking for a new and meaningful career that offers the potential to change lives. It is pleasing to see such a diverse and enthusiastic group of people take the first step towards a challenging but rewarding career with the TPS.
Three experienced Correctional Officers who have previously worked in Queensland and Victoria will also complete their bridging course this week which will allow them to start work across the TPS immediately afterward.
This latest recruitment campaign will not only increase staffing across the TPS but provide a safer and more secure environment for both staff and prisoners, and we will be continuing with this intensive recruitment campaign.
Our Government has invested significantly in boosting our staff, with more than 237 extra Correctional Officers in our prison system since 2016, including 79 in 2020 alone notwithstanding COVID-19, and this additional recruitment is another positive step forward.
The recruitment process is occurring alongside our strong infrastructure plan to invest $365 million to meet future prison capacity demands and upgrade existing facilities, including a new Northern Regional Prison and Southern Remand Centre.