Inmates celebrated their first steps in a new direction when they recently graduated at ceremonies at Darwin Correctional Centre on 14th October, and Alice Springs Correctional Centre on 21st October, delivered through a Batchelor Institute partnership agreement with Northern Territory Correctional Services.

Batchelor Institute is Australia’s oldest and only First Nations dual-sector tertiary education provider, that supports students to choose meaningful pathways to employment and to pursue further study.

It was the second graduation ceremony held this year for inmates in both correctional centres, with both men and women completing 98 nationally accredited qualifications and 264 skill sets.

Batchelor Institute Director Mick Gooda said he and Batchelor Institute staff were delighted to be a part of the inmates’ journeys to a brighter future.

Mr Gooda said, “We are so proud of the graduands in taking this step in their own personal growth and learning journey, which will benefit their mob back in their communities.”

The training delivered by Batchelor Institute, which has vocational education and training staff working in the correctional centres, will help graduands find work in visual arts, business, construction, engineering, media, automotive, civil and hospitality industries.

“These qualifications are the result of the graduands hard work and will be the foundation for a new chapter in their lives,” Mr Gooda said.

“The qualifications and skillsets these people now possess will serve them well when they return home to their communities, and many have said it has fostered an interest to pursue further study.

“The graduation ceremony was an important celebration for the inmates to recognise and be proud of their achievements, and the commitment they have made to themselves and their families by investing in education and personal growth.”