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Inmates score with data entry job for ministry
PRISON inmates are helping ministries to consolidate feedback forms used in development programmes for public officers.
The job has been outsourced to them by Vital.org, a government back-office that handles appointment, payroll, and training functions, among others.
The government agency under the purview of the Ministry of Finance tied up with the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (Score) to provide the opportunity for prisoners to better themselves and, at the same time, to improve Vital.org's efficiency.
'An increase in the number of public officers undergoing learning and development courses has produced a higher volume of feedback forms for consolidation,' said Ms Lee Boon Kim, the organisation's head of learning and development services.
Score will be given about 75,000 forms to process till October next year. The inmates are trained in data entry for two weeks through Microsoft Office applications. Training is conducted by fellow inmates with prior training, at the end of which they are given Microsoft certification.
There is a range of workshops available for inmates who want to better themselves. These include bakery, food catering and multimedia.
So far, 28 offenders have been trained in these Microsoft applications. One of them is S.C. Tan, who is serving a six-year sentence for a drug-related offence. 'With the useful skills I got from this workshop, I hope to find a job which needs such skills when I am released,' he said.
The workshop has 15 computer terminals, which can process about 21,000 forms monthly.
'Vital.org will look at this ready pool of skilled inmates as an additional recruitment source and consider hiring former inmates if there is a suitable match,' said Mr Clarence Ti, the company's chief executive.
Based on the success of this collaboration, Score hopes to partner with other organisations to extend related services, including data management.
JALELAH ABU BAKER
PRISON inmates are helping ministries to consolidate feedback forms used in development programmes for public officers.
The job has been outsourced to them by Vital.org, a government back-office that handles appointment, payroll, and training functions, among others.
The government agency under the purview of the Ministry of Finance tied up with the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (Score) to provide the opportunity for prisoners to better themselves and, at the same time, to improve Vital.org's efficiency.
'An increase in the number of public officers undergoing learning and development courses has produced a higher volume of feedback forms for consolidation,' said Ms Lee Boon Kim, the organisation's head of learning and development services.
Score will be given about 75,000 forms to process till October next year. The inmates are trained in data entry for two weeks through Microsoft Office applications. Training is conducted by fellow inmates with prior training, at the end of which they are given Microsoft certification.
There is a range of workshops available for inmates who want to better themselves. These include bakery, food catering and multimedia.
So far, 28 offenders have been trained in these Microsoft applications. One of them is S.C. Tan, who is serving a six-year sentence for a drug-related offence. 'With the useful skills I got from this workshop, I hope to find a job which needs such skills when I am released,' he said.
The workshop has 15 computer terminals, which can process about 21,000 forms monthly.
'Vital.org will look at this ready pool of skilled inmates as an additional recruitment source and consider hiring former inmates if there is a suitable match,' said Mr Clarence Ti, the company's chief executive.
Based on the success of this collaboration, Score hopes to partner with other organisations to extend related services, including data management.
JALELAH ABU BAKER
