“The ability to offer this pilot program on the Mid North Coast is one way the New South Wales Police Force along with TAFE and Charles Sturt University can provide opportunities for our local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people towards further education and employment,” Superintendent Paul Fehon said. 

From July 17  the Indigenous Police Recruitment Our Way Delivery Program (IPROWD) will commence at the TAFE NSW Port Macquarie campus. 

The semester two program has been developed through the partnership between TAFE NSW, the NSW Police Force and Charles Sturt University. 

Superintendent Paul Fehon said the program will provide development in areas of literacy, language and numeracy, fitness, goal setting and personal presentation skills.

“These are all important facets in the progression to the New South Wales Police college,” he said.  

As IPROWD is a newly established pilot program within the Mid North Coast Command Superintendent Fehon expects the initial uptake of applicants to be a smaller number.

“However we are looking to create greater interest for those students completing their secondary schooling in 2017 and encourage them to consider the program for next year,”  he said.

“We have a strong representation of indigenous people across the Mid North Coast and the commencement of the IPROWD in Port Macquarie is ideally placed to provide further career opportunities.”

Students who complete the program may seek to diversify with careers in other government departments or undertake further studies.  

Superintendent Fehon said the IPROWD program is also tailored to encourage local indigenous people to gain their Certificate III in Vocational and Study Pathways which provides preparation for early requirements to universities and the police college. 

For more information contact IPROWD on 1300 823 393. To apply for the program visit www.iprowd.tafensw.edu.au