Irish Prison Service seeks operator to deliver hairdressing course to Dóchas inmates

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) has issued a request for tender (RFT) for the provision of a hairdressing skills workshop for the female Dóchas prison in Dublin over the next four years.

According to the tender, the IPS is aiming for the course to provide the trainees with the skills to develop their personal and jobseeking skills, to enable them to obtain employment in hairdressing salons after their release from the prison.

The modules to be provided by the course operator include shampooing and conditioning; curling and finger waving; blow drying, setting and styling; colour processes; and career planning and jobseeking skills.

The mandatory requirements are that the training must lead to a certificate in hairdressing accredited to City & Guilds entry level/level 1 or equivalent.

The contractor is expected to deliver four full-time courses of 10 weeks for each year of the contract. Each course must consist of a maximum of seven attendees, and a minimum of 28 prisoners will require both theoretical and practical training each year of the contract.

The training class times are to be 9.30am to 12.30pm and 2.00pm to 4.30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and at least one day per week must include practical demonstrations.

The IPS will reportedly spend an estimated €480,000 on providing the workshops over four years.