Prison service says Tartu recruitment drive is ahead of schedule
Recruitment is on schedule and the first officers have already been hired, the prison service has said, as it prepares for the arrival of several hundred prisoners from Sweden.
Under an agreement struck between Estonia and Sweden, several hundred prisoners will be sent to serve part of their sentences in the prison in south Estonia to alleviate overcrowding in Swedish jails.
Tartu Prison is now seeking nearly 300 new employees. Although the first recruitment round took place in June, the prison opened its doors on Tuesday to nearly 100 interested visitors for a career day.
The prison's director said interest is high and recruitment is ahead of schedule. "We have already had nearly 400 active applicants and have already hired 20 of them. I would say that nearly 70 people are currently in the active recruitment process to come and work at Tartu Prison," said Merle Ulst, director of Tartu Prison.
The applicants have varied backgrounds. They include both young people looking for their first work experience and former prison employees who had been laid off and have now found their way back to the profession.
"During the day, they were able to get acquainted with our different areas of work, including trying out a cell search themselves, watching a dog demonstration training session and seeing the prison transport buses," said Konstantin Nikiforov, chief specialist at Tartu Prison.
The first Swedish inmates are expected to arrive in Tartu as early as this month. According to the prison director, everything is ready for their arrival. "The inmates will arrive in small groups, and I can say that by the end of September we will have 100 inmates here," Ulst said.
The prison service said applicants must be over 18 years old and need to pass a background check and physical fitness tests.
A good grasp of Estonian is needed, but there is no need to worry about English skills: being able to manage polite communication is sufficient.
"The most important thing is that the person has the will to work in this kind of institution, with these kinds of people, and to do this work with dedication and motivation," Nikiforov said.
According to the prison's management, the current recruitment drive will not be the last, and additional employees will be trained as needed.
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Editor: Helen Wright, Johanna Alvin
Source: Aktuaalne kaamera
