People under the supervision of the Department of Prisons are gaining useful abilities that would allow them to succeed in the major industries thanks to a reintegration process that makes use of virtual reality technology.
Using a combination of interactive virtual simulations and hands-on instruction, the two-week Whiti Programme offers instruction on forklift handling, transportation, and safety and health.
Individuals with release circumstances who were given a term that lets them find jobs in the open after completing the required rehabilitative programmes that support long-term job search and education are the focus of the curriculum. The curriculum was designed specifically for these individuals with release circumstances.
Bryce Wiggins and Errol Kalmancsi, who are both experts in recruiting and education in Hawke’s Bay, are the ones who are responsible for the successful pilot initiative.
According to Kalmancsi, the group was determined to make the circumstances in correctional institutions better for convicts so that they would have access to permanent employment possibilities in addition to temporary ones.
According to him, maintaining stable employment is crucial for the concerned individuals because it acts as a safeguard in their daily lives. Having a job enables these people to contribute to society as a whole as active participants.
Service manager in Napier, Sean Robins, said 18 months worth of mahi went into preparing for the Whiti partnership.
It involved aiding with their financing proposals, tailoring the course material to the skills that businesses have been asking for, preparing the people involved with the assistance of those in the treatment and probationers, and assisting them as they finished the training.
Liz Hawthorn, regional administrator for Corrections in the Lower North, stated that the project would be expanded throughout New Zealand after its progress in Hawke’s Bay.
According to Hawthorn, the team is working on generating video materials with an initial focus on the Tairwhiti and Hawke’s Bay locations. The reasoning for this is so that people may have a better understanding of some of the unique spots and routes that are accessible at Ara Poutama Aotearoa.
If a person is interested in hearing from a rising star in Hawke’s Bay about their accomplishments as a rising star in the field, but they are unable to make it to any of the in-person information sessions because of closed roads, lack of money, or lack of childcare, they can listen to the session online instead. Because of this, they have developed a number of digital alternatives.
Hawthorn said that she wanted to make sure that the Hawke’s Bay Employment and Training department received special recognition for developing the VR curriculum from the ground up.
She said that Prisons is proactively trying to concentrate its attention on aiding in the rehabilitation of the local economies in cyclone-affected regions and on supporting the local populace.
Since Cyclone Gabrielle, everyone in the Lower North has been thinking about how they might help their neighbours and the region’s economy get back on its feet.
