JEDDAH — The Technical and Vocational Training Corporation's (TVTC) initiative to train prisoners has benefited 23,600 inmates since it started a few years ago and 3,200 this year alone. TVTC implemented 10 different training programs that were to be delivered through 36 institutes based in prisons. According to Ahmad Bin Jalala, TVTC's director for cooperative training, the corporation is arranging with the General Directorate of Prisons to provide training to prisoners, develop programs provided for them and help enhance their skills. This, he said, comes as part of TVTC's objective to provide the same opportunities for prisoners as its other beneficiaries. The training, added the director, is provided and accredited by the corporation and people who enroll will be provided with vocational certificates to help them register with the National Entrepreneurship Institute, which falls under the supervision of TVTC. Prisoners registering in these training programs will also be allowed to obtain investment loans and get financial support from the Human Resources Fund of SR3,000 a month for two years. The financial aid, he said, will help prisoners to start operating their small businesses after they finish their sentences. Bin Jalala was speaking lately on the sidelines of a joint meeting between the TVTC and the General Directorate of Prisons on the development of training programs in prisons. The director of the directorate's department for the rehabilitation and training of prisoners Ali Al-Humoud said there had been an improvement in the training provided after working with the corporation. He noted that the joint committee involving representatives of the TVTC and the directorate is focusing on a number of important issues to help prisoners find job opportunities after finishing their sentences. The goal, he added, is to help prisoners lead a normal life and become productive members of society.
