Having completed their training course, nine convicts of the Penal Correctional Institution (PCI) of Niš received certificates for tailors – one of the 13 vocations in demand for which the PCI organises training courses to help convicts find employment as easily as possible once they have served their sentences.
The six-month course in cutting and sewing was funded by Help, a German non-governmental organisation. Help has been cooperating with the Penal Sanctions Enforcement Administration since 2014 on projects offering vocational training for convicts in 17 PCIs across Serbia.
After obtaining their certificates, convicts can seek financial assistance from this organisation in the amount of EUR 2,400 for purchasing equipment needed to start a business.
In addition to the training for tailors, the Niš PCI offers training courses for computer programmers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, tilers, painters, plasterers, etc.
In order to avoid possible stigmatisation of former convicts and to enable them to compete in the labour market, none of the certificates mention the fact that they were obtained while serving a sentence.