Leaders in corrections:
Partners in criminal and social justice
Wolston CC Industries began in 1999 and now operates seven workshops at the centre, specialising in a variety of manufacturing activities such as light and medium metal fabrication, spray painting, powder coating, abrasive blasting, and assembly and packaging.
Up to 236 offenders can be employed each day across the centre’s workshops, which supply an extensive line of products to many long-term clients.
Wolston CC Industry Manager Russell Bailey said examples of the products manufactured at the centre included purpose-designed trailers and a range of security tool boxes and cabinets, flammable liquid storage cabinets, gas cylinder cages and trolleys.
‘Our trailer client has worked closely with Wolston CC Industries since 2001 to improve the design and quality of their product, and this has provided the company with a platform to expand into the export market,’ he said.
‘Wolston Correctional Centre-manufactured trailers are currently sold into the Australian market as well as exported into Europe and
America.
‘We also fabricate an extensive range of gates, stock yard panels, stock loading ramps, feeders, road grids and other agricultural products.’
Russell said the new screenprinting workshop had been enthusiastically welcomed by the centre’s trade instructors and the
14 offenders who are currently employed there.
‘The offenders learn about artwork and design, graphics software, film separation and preparation, colour matching, machine operation, digital die-cutting, finishing, production, quality control, materials handling and warehousing, stock control, and cleaning and maintenance.
‘Our production focus is on high-quality graphical reproduction on a variety of substrates including board and box board, cardboard, vinyl, fabric transfers and corflute,’ he said.
In keeping with the QCS priorities of developing meaningful activities and providing training for offenders that links to potential employment opportunities upon their release, Wolston CC Industries has also implemented an integrated training model in the centre’s ferrous metals workshop.
The first delivery of 10 modules of the Certificate II in Engineering has recently been completed for offenders in the workshop.
Wolston Correctional Centre Industries operates seven workshops specialising in a variety of manufacturing operations, including spray painting and powder coating, steel and aluminium fabrication and screenprinting. Employing more than 200 offenders, the workshops design and make hundreds of products for domestic and export markets, from trailers to agricultural equipment, tool boxes and cabinets. They also manufacture items such as shadehouses and worm farms to assist the centre’s greening initiatives. As part of their work , offenders receive training designed to provide them with skills that enhance their employment prospects upon release. The screenprinting workshop (bottom row, far right) is the latest addition to the Industries section. It is capable of producing high-quality screenprinting on a range of surfaces
‘The training program has been modified by Adult Education and
Vocational Edication Training and Tropical North Queensland TAFE, and includes the introduction of an offender assessment and training workbook developed by Maryborough Correctional Centre and TNQ TAFE.
‘We are about to begin the remaining modules in the Certificate II
Engineering syllabus and the successful delivery of these modules will be the driver in progressing the training model to the other workshop areas,’ he said.
Significant advances have been made by Wolston CC Industries over the past year, but the period has not been without its challenges.
The global financial crisis in Europe and America and past summer’s widespread flooding in Queensland affected the supply requirements of several clients, while a fire in the spray booth of the spray painting and powder coating workshop in December last year seriously hampered production in that work area.
Russell said repairs to the spray painting workshop were due to be completed in late September.
‘We are also replacing the powder coating oven, which will halve the current baking time and greatly enhance the production capacity of this business unit.’
‘In addition, we have been assisting the development of the centre’s
Greening Corrections initiatives through the manufacture of worm farms, shade houses and garden framework.’
‘Over the coming 12 months, Wolston CC Industries will be concentrating on maintaining our current positive client relationships and developing new business opportunities.
‘We will also be progressing our integrated training model to four of the seven Industries workshops, to enhance the development of offenders’ skills and improve their chances of finding meaningful employment when they return to the community,’ he said.
Wolston CC General Manager Sharon McCallum-Clark said the Industries team was critical to the centre’s continued high performance.
‘They are highly integrated and highly valued. In addition to providing meaningful activity, training, work skills and employability for offenders, they have assisted the centre to deliver on greening
Initiatives.
‘The Industries team has also designed and manufactured products for the broader community via the Community Advisory Committee, as well as products to enhance centre safety and security.
‘These include light covers for Detention Unit cell lights which prevent access by offenders, chemical agent storage units, shadow boards, and key and weapons safes,’ Sharon said.