Work in Progress
The role of VET in Prison - work transitions - Part 1 & 2
Summary
- Item:
- 10240
- Title:
- The role of VET in Prison - work transitions - Part 1 & 2
- Type:
- Managed research project
- Project no:
- NR3022
- Status:
- Finished
- Date commenced:
- 16 September 2003
- Contact:
- Margaret Giles
- phone: +61 8 9380 8673
- email: mgiles@ecel.uwa.edu.au
Purpose
To develop and trial a survey instrument to be used in order to determine the value that prisoners place on learning and work experience.
Approach
Literature review and survey
Research questions
1. Do prisoners value the opportunity to undertake education/training/work?
2. What characteristics of prisoners contribute to their choice of education/training/work?
3. Given participation, is this related to the perceived improvement in employment and wages on release from prison? If not, why do they undertake education/training/work?
4. For voluntary participants, what is the probability that a prisoner will choose education/training/work rather than non-participation? For mandatory participants, what is the probability that a prisoner will choose education or training relative to choosing work?
5. What non-labour market outcomes do prisoners value?
Methodology
Stage 1 of the project involves developing the survey instrument and piloting it on a 10% sample of prisons using one interviewer over six days.
Stage 2 of the project which is surveying approximately 300 prisoners in WA is now underway.
Organisations
Margaret Giles is a Researcher with CLMR. She has extensive experience in economic and econometric analysis and previously lectured labour economics at Edith Cowan University.
Ann-Claire Larsen is a Lecturer with the School of Justice and Business Law at Edith Cowan University. Her research interests include women in prison and how some services may fail to meet the needs of the people they are set up to address. She has had extensive experience using qualitative research methods.
Lyn Bennett is Change Manager for Bandyup Women's Prison and has extensive experience in correctional facilities in W.A.
Anh Tram Le is a Lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of Western Australia. Her research interests include labour market choice, quality of jobs, labour market outcomes and educational attainment.
Catherine Lees is a Lecturer in the Department of Organisational and Labour Studies at The University of Western Australia. Her research interests are judgement and decision-making, analysis and design of work and human performance and the role of human resource management.
Maria Allan is a Lecturer in the School of Psychology at Edith Cowan University. Her research interests include psychometric properties of psychological tests.
