The Time to Work Employment Service is a national voluntary in-prison employment service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The Time to Work Employment Service assists adult, sentenced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners to access the support they need to better prepare them to find employment and reintegrate into the community upon their release from prison.
The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations has contracted providers to deliver the service in 65 non-remote prisons while the servicing of eight remote prisons is managed by the National Indigenous Australians Agency.
Services are available in all states and territories across Australia.
Who is eligible?
To participate in the Time to Work Employment Service, a prisoner must:
- self-identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
- be over 18 years of age, and
- be sentenced and within one-to-four months of their release from prison.
What services are available?
As part of the service, participants receive:
- a comprehensive assessment of their employment barriers
- assistance to develop a detailed transition plan, and
- a facilitated transfer from their in-prison service provider to their post-release employment service provider, where possible.
Which providers deliver the Time to Work Employment Service in non-remote prisons?
Thirteen providers deliver the service in the 65 non-remote prisons around Australia:
- for a complete list of the providers and non-remote prisons offering the service please refer to the TWES Non-Remote Provider Information factsheet.