EDUCATION & EMPLOYMENT
The service focuses on direct and effective guidance through an individualised plan for employment, with the aim of supplementing the residents’ educational portfolio, in order for them to maintain and secure stable employment opportunities.
Service users will be working together with the Employment Team, which is expected to support the individual in the identification of training needs. Following thorough assessments, necessary arrangements for the enrolment in training opportunities, employment, and voluntary work will be undertaken.
The methodology of the education and employment service at RISe Foundation may possibly increase the prospects for the RISe residents, to partake themselves in an adequate, self-actualised employment, and thus reduce individual dependence on social benefits. Providing increased employment opportunities through education, will have a significant effect on the overall well-being of the resident, which will in turn combat possibilities of recidivism.
Education
The purpose of education and training play a key role in improving the employability skills of the service users, and also gives them a real alternative to crime upon release. Education has a value in itself, and it is important to develop the person as a whole, and not just in terms of the qualifications they hold for employment. Specifically, the knowledge and qualifications will help them not just to secure a job upon release, but also to prepare them to cope with the complexities of life they have to face, to give them confidence, raise their own aspirations, shift them away from offending behaviour, and to become much more productive members of society.
Substantial group training (educational and therapeutic) is delivered by various tutors focusing on micro and macro skills, or as deemed necessary according to circumstances and situations.
Employment
The team will also support service users to enhance life skills required to ensure fulfilment of the purpose of training, employment, and voluntary work.
The rationale of this setting is to gradually facilitate social integration into the workplace, and stabilise possible features of impulsivity, non-conformity to routine, timings, manageability and congruency with work. The residents will be regularly monitored in order to verify the individual’s progress towards meeting the objectives of the employment training.
Community Work
Community work develops an increased sense of social responsibility, and it also provides an opportunity to individuals to apply learnt skills to real life events.
Therefore, enrolling our service users in conducting community work prior to entering the employment phase, the individual is able to "repair" some of the damage done by participating in community service. The principles of restorative justice stipulates that that any offence, regardless of size or severity, causes damage to the community on various levels.
Therefore, through this type of work offenders contribute to the community by ‘giving back’ and helping others, which could be the first stepping stone to restore the views and relationship between society and our service users.