Offender Management

The qualifications


National qualifications are made up of unit standards, which are set at different levels to indicate the degree of difficulty. Once a trainee completes a unit standard, they earn credits for that particular unit. Once all the required credits have been achieved for that qualification, a national certificate is awarded. There are currently three national qualifications for the offender management industry.

National Certificate in Offender Management [Level 3]

This is a nationally recognised qualification for those working as corrections officers within a prison to provide safe, secure, and humane containment of inmates while working towards reducing re-offending. To gain the qualification, trainees must demonstrate competence in both generic and professional skills.

The generic skills include:

  • Response to fires in the workplace
  • Operating a computer
  • Managing anger, time, stress and change
  • First aid and basic life support
  • Interpersonal communications
  • Writing reports

The professional skills cover the major activities corrections officers are engaged in during the course of their work and relate to:

  • The management and rehabilitation of prison inmates
  • The management of safety and security in the prison environment