Time to Work - Employment Service
Koikyennuruff painted by clients R. Hart and P. Martino
The Time to Work Employment Service is a specific indigenous program which links prisoners to a job network pathway prior to release.
Between 4-6 months prior to release, indigenous prisoners are offered the opportunity to be part of the program. If the prisoner elects to participate (and nearly all do) our skilled support workers will:
measure the client’s relative difficulty in gaining and maintaining employment
help identify what level of support the client will need to help them find work
identify those clients who have complex or multiple barriers to employment that need further assessment
advise on assistance that may be of benefit to improve their current employment prospects.
By the time the client is released they would have been assessed by Centrelink and have a transition to employment plan which links them into a Job Provider agency. In the past this was done after release from prison and made the integration into the community more complex.