Staff WritersIt seems the Chinese are not the only ones using prison labour, for according to www.scoop.co.nz, Canon New Zealand has announced an agreement with the NZ Department of Corrections that will see prison inmates trained to assemble and dismantle its machines.
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Following a successful trial at both Rimutaka Prison and Auckland Region Women’s Corrections Facility, “workshops are being set up which will potentially employ up to eight inmates at each prison. It will provide training and up-skilling for the prisoners with the aim to increase their chances of gaining employment upon release”, according to the report.
The report notes over the past six years Canon NZ have supplied photocopiers, printers and scanners to the Corrections Inmate Employment (CIE) scheme at the Wellington Prison Printshop and witnessed the employment scheme in action.
Currently, 135 new machines are being assembled per month. The initial target for refurbishment was set at 30 to 50 machines per month, however the workshops seem to be exceeding this by far.
Prisoners working within the Canon workshops are able to obtain NZQA credits towards a National Certificate in Electronic Manufacturing Level 3.
The report notes that, “Canon is faced with the situation where demand for services is outstripping supply in both the Wellington and Auckland regions, with technicians spending the majority of their time on site honouring the service agreements. This partnership will address the issue of the shortage of qualified workers within the market”.