EMPLOYABILITY
This small anthology features some of the work undertaken by our students in prisons on the theme of ‘work’ and ‘employment’. We asked our students to reflect on their attitudes to work and their aspirations for employment. The poster advertising the competition was designed by some of our students at HMP Shotts and you can read about their activities on page 18 of this booklet. The responses demonstrate the range of creative talent in our prisons. From the delightful sugarcraft models depicting a range of jobs from lawyer to cook, created by the cookery students at Cornton Vale to the impressive animation by a student at Glenochil and a radio broadcast by a group of Radio Skills students at Barlinnie, the artwork depicted here demonstrates skill, commitment and engagement with the topic. The work published here is humorous, moving, insightful and sometimes a bit sceptical. It reflects the same range of attitudes to work as you would find in wider society. We hope it shows that our prisons hold many people are extremely talented and hardworking, determined to change their lives and with hopes and aspirations for the future..all they want is for someone to give them a chance.
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JOB Want SATISFACTION Success is measured by salary by job title and power We are taught that happiness is an office with your name on the door
Meetings with Powerpoint presentations Where words are weapons, sharpened and inflicted at key moments I’m good at this
Jobs grow into careers The people I clamber over are just casualties of war My CV is a litany of successful battles From the humblest of beginnings I have risen to power and power is happiness isn’t it? So why am I not happy? Why are those around me not happy? Suddenly there is no one around me I pursued a hollow dream and caught it 2
by Gareth
Have
Need
by John
Work
I have wanted work loads of times in my life for loads of different reasons. One of those reasons was going straight and having a normal life, normal job, settling down. A job can be good for many reasons – having a steady pay cheque, good income, stability in life, something to get up for in the morning, to keep you busy and when the weekend does come, you just want to chill and spend time with loved ones. I have also had work many times, and it was good for loads of reasons. One of those reasons being it looks good for court, keeps you busy and out of trouble, stops you drinking, getting up to no good, it is legal money, your wife, girlfriend, partner won’t be moaning about you wasting your day doing nothing but taking drugs and spending money we don’t have. It also kept me busy and I felt better for it at the end of the week. I’d have my pay cheque at the end of the week and I could say I’ve earned it. :)
Work
Again, I’ve needed work badly in the past, at some points in life we all do. I got told to get a job, stay away from this and that, so okay I said, and then the endless search for work began. Hats off to the people out there, looking for work every day, it’s a hard graft. I’ve tried myself it’s not easy. I’ve had bills needing paid, and my income just didn’t cover it, so what do you do? Look in the papers, ask mates, look on the internet, all these things we can do to find work, and it’s still really hard. No wonder people turn to crime, give up, say it’s not happening, even when you try all the things available the search goes on. It’s not easy out there, so don’t expect it to be. We miss chances in life, and thinking back that we should have taken that job, or went to that meeting. Life is all about choices, and we don’t always make the right ones, after all, we are only human, as a wise man once said to me. My advice would be to take the chances you get in life, don’t be daft. If anyone is reading this then take my advice, take what you can get, because there might not be any more work out there, maybe for years. When you need work don’t be picky, take what you get, be happy with it.
Work
Needing work is like needing food, you take what you get at a time of need.
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All I want is a big white horse To ride on a beach kicking up water All I want is a bow and arrow To shoot the apples from the trees All I want is a big rocket To take me to the moon and back All I want is to go to Hollywood To be a cowboy in a western movie All I want is a really fast car To roar round the countryside kicking up dirt All I want is a big ocean liner To see the world, my way All I want is a double decked bus To take all my friends to the seaside All I want is to stop dreaming To get a job and settle down All I want by Eddie
What work is out there? What’s to gain? Maybe I could have Steady pay A nice hame Want To Work by John
5 Leger by Stephen
Gee’s A Job by Eddie
I’m coming to the end of another long-term prison sentence, and the worry about my life on the outside has already set in. The last time I was released, I tried hard to find employment. As a husband and father it is my duty to provide for my family and for many years I did this successfully, I worked hard and had many successful businesses in the entertainments and jewellery trade. However I then followed a path into crime. I let my family down but have paid a very hefty price. I have two grandchildren who were born while I was in prison and this has left me with a deep sense of guilt for leaving my wife and children in dire straits. I was the main breadwinner in the house and I don’t blame anyone for the situation I now find myself in, but I feel if I had been given more support and the chance of employment on my last release then I’m sure I would have gone on and been a good employee for some company. Although I have a criminal record I have never stole or hurt anyone in the crimes I committed.
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Since coming to prison I have spent my time seeking new skills, which I think will be useful in my search for employment on my release. Coming back to prison is not an option for me. I have trained in cookery to SVQ level 1, I have developed skills in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign and have a European Computer Driving Licence, I am also a keen writer and through my creative writing I have won prizes in the Koestler awards and English Pen competitions and most recently I won a competition for designing a poster to promote the ”listeners” programme in prisons
I am part of the editorial team for the highly successful and award winning STIR magazine, and take great pride in my work, and in the process have learned graphic design skills. Life in prison is hard for me and most of the time I don’t think ahead, in prison you tend to blank out the future and just take it one day at a time. You almost get into a comfort zone where you don’t need to worry about earning money or paying bills. This is a very selfish way of thinking as my family still have all the worries on the outside but this strategy is the only way I can cope with my sentence. I also work as a listener (with the Samaritans) we help prisoners try to cope with problems they are experiencing with family issues, self-harm or suicide. During my time as a listener I have had prisoners telling me about their fears of being released and not being able to find employment, some even self sabotaging their chances of parole, saying “they would rather stay in prison” than having to get out and beg, steal or borrow to survive again on the outside. I can empathise with them, as this is also my worst fear on release. The positive effects of me finding work are potentially enormous to my family and me; I’ve missed out on so many years of their lives. My ideal job would be working for a theatre company or magazine or something creative. I only want a chance to truly turn my life around and be a decent citizen and family man again.
And so I say to whom it may concern,
PLEASE RELEASE ME-
GEE’S A JOB 7
Employability by Ben
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My Dream Job by Robert
MY DREAM JOB My dream job would be to play Santa Claus by working in the lottery, my own type of lottery, going from house to house making people who I don’t even know happy, telling them that all their worries have been solved at least financially.
Oh how happy they would be, I’d feel happy like an angel sprinkling magic dust all over the world. I’d like to be able to take it even further, to watch them enjoying their life without ever again having to worry about where the next meal comes from, or how to clothe their kids, heat their home or a million other things poor people have to suffer, even when they work hard but still struggle to make ends meet.
I’d help the old people, grannies and granddads who freeze in the winter, and sit with one bar on their electric fire, terrified to put on the other one as they can barely afford to pay their lecky bills, or to eat more than cheap food, some even sleeping in the living room instead of the bedroom to save from having to heat two rooms. I’d help these people who have worked all their lives, given so much to society for nothing back. That is my dream job, to make happy the people who deserve to get a break, who deserve to taste the finer things in life, even if only for a short time. Oh how I dream.
I would not want to give rich people the winning from the lottery, only the ones who really need it; ordinary working class folk who would never taste the finer things in life without winning the lottery. Folk who have never travelled first class, never eaten a steak more than a few times, who have never owned a nice car, and who always have to be careful how much petrol they put in it, people who do without to put clothes on the backs of their kids, folk who eat beans and toast so their kids can have shoes on their feet, people who look at the more fortunate then themselves, and think, oh god how good would it be to be able to afford a house like that, a car like that, or them, to folk who stand outside fancy restaurants, looking in the window and thinking, I wish I could afford to eat there, to people who stand in the rain getting soaked by the luxury cars as they pass by never giving them a single thought, as they soak them and laugh in their self important bubbles.
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My dream job... to be an animator
by Philip
This student has shown a great aptitude for animation. He is a gifted artist who seems to understand animation. I have been impressed by the standard of animating and storytelling that he has shown in his films so far. These films have been achieved using very basic equipment and freeware software loaded on to a computer network not really designed for the number crunching needed in animation. The sets and the figures were cobbled together using cardboard boxes and plastic bags, the camera is designed to take snaps of artwork. There is only one animation class per week and he shares the camera and computer with five others. There is no lighting beyond the ambient. His films are impressive without the above constraints, but with them they are incredible pieces of work. You can watch a film about Philips work at -
www.secondchancecreative.tumblr.com
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All sugarcraft models depicted in this anthology by Sharlene, Caroline, Rita, Donna and Holly
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All I want is to be an Airforce pilot Screaming over people’s heads with a bang like a gun shot All I want is to be a sailor in the navy To visit far off lands, taste exotic foods and experience the ladies. All I want is to be an Olympian in the decathlon To be like my hero the great Daley Thompson All I want is to be a combat soldier Jumping from planes, storming beaches then experiencing battle, being brave and bolder Or I could be a cowboy Wearing a Stetson, drawing my six gun riding my horse , herding cattle under the stars and the mid day sun. All I Want by David
W O R K
ork hard every day, work out where you want to be
n a daily basis
each closer to where you want to be in life
eep doing what you’re doing and eventually, you’ll be alright 13 Work by Bradley
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Factory jobs, construction, sorta all over the place really
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Turning the Tide : Employability A Barlinnie Radio Production
The Radio Skills students decided there were two areas that they wanted to explore in the programme; what work experience people already had and looking forward, what help and support they might need to get a job when they had finished their prison sentence. They wanted to gather varied responses so they decided the best way to do that was to vox pop as many as possible. This would show the range of work experience amongst prisoners in Barlinnie and at the same time break down misconceptions that many prisoners have never worked. The programme was designed, scripted and produced by the students and after assessing all the material they decided to incorporate some funny work experiences, a few of which weren’tsuitable for broadcast! We hope you enjoy their efforts! You can listen to the full radio programme at www.secondchancecreative.tumblr.com
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“I’ve done a lot of sales and marketing in my day, and done a wee bit of construction work“
“I think support for me when I get out is direct introduction to potential emplyees who are prepared to take me on considering what I’ve been through and my prison sentence and term. Knowing that you don’t have to hide your past to potential employers, I mean this is my first time in prison, and I don’t know what to expect when I get out”
“Training. I think it would be better to start [in prison] and then come out with some experience.”
“It depends on your determination, but in my eyes you can get anything you want” “... before that I was in the military for seven years. Before that I was training to become a car mechanic.”
“Jack of all trades, I suppose professional DIY you could call it. Redeveloping houses, a lot of joinery, painting, plumbing. “
“What I think you need is education, if they can push into education, no matter what your convictions, at least you know in yourself you have a qualification to push yourself. If the employers see your education there, obviously you’ve got a conviction but they see that this guy aint a dumb guy, alright he might have made a mistake, at least hes pushing himself to go that extra mile” 15
All I want is to be a mad inventor To change the world forever All I want is to create a big fuss To make big explosions To make big clouds of dust All I want is to be a mad inventor To create a machine To make instant ice cream To fulfil every dream All I want is to be a mad inventor To show off my gadgets in the Kennedy space centre All I need is to show no fear To proceed with the next big idea All I want is to be a mad inventor All I Want by Andrew
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Discover Tomorrow’s Artist Today by Benno
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STIR Magazine / MPG
Mission:
Images, writing or other art work on the topic of work, What are your experiences of work, what is your dream job, what support would you need to get a job, how would a job help you on release
Deadline
21 st February 2015 (Submit through your learning centre) The winning works will be used for leaflets, posters or literature during a Scottish Government and SPS Employability Summit with Employers in 2015. Help us challenging preconceptions some employers have in relation to the talents and ability of imprisoned people S H O T T S MEDIA PRODUCTION GROUP
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STIR is printed three times a year. The magazine is based at HMP Shotts, where prisoners are directly involved in design and layout and editorial work, although the content comes from all the New College Lanarkshire Learning Centres. The exact format and content of the magazine is decided upon collaboratively by an editorial team. Since it was established STIR has won multiple awards including the Chairman’s Award from the Print and Publishing Association Scotland in 2012 and a Herald Society Award for Education Initiative of the Year in 2013. New College Lanarkshire believes that STIR plays an important role in providing a regular, reliable and high quality locus for creative writing and visual art in prisons. At the same time, the magazine provides a clear focus for learning; developing graphic design, marketing, editing skills but also crucially, team working, working to deadlines, critical thinking, presentation and negotiation skills, all of which will stand prisoners in good stead on release. The magazine is tangible evidence of their learning, which prisoners can share with family and friends but also with potential employers as evidence of their achievements.
Following on from the success of STIR Magazine, we have formed a work party at Shotts MPG (Media Production Group) which designs and produces print work for an increasing range of clients. Recently the group has taken on commissions for Theatre Nemo’s annual report and the Annual Report and Guide for Artists Working in Prisons commissioned by Creative Scotland, as well as producing posters and leaflets for the prison to support a number of campaigns. Both STIR and MPG are examples of how positive employment opportunities can be created inside prison which develop skills and capacities relevant to employment on release.
To contact STIR or MPG please email stir@nclan.ac.uk
Talk to a listener in complete confidence contact a member of Staff
Or Call 08457 90 90 90
To talk to a Samaritan
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Group work Art students, HMP Greenock
EMPLOYABILITY A collection of work on the theme of work and employment produced by students of New College Lanarkshire in HMP Barlinnie, Cornotn Vale, Dumfries, Glenochil, Greenock, Low Moss and Shotts www.secondchancecreative.tumblr.com