SELECTED prison inmates no longer feel like they are on blind dates when they meet prospective employers to discuss jobs while still in jail.

Under a new programme by the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (Score), inmates and employers understand more about each other well before job interviews are held.

Score partnered the Workforce Development Agency for this project.

But under the 'Prepare and Place' Project, inmates who are selected come up with the industries they are keen on working in.

Employers from two or three of these shortlisted industries are then invited to visit the inmates. They talk to them about the types of jobs available, the hours and the pay.

If the inmates are still interested after this, they are assessed on how good a match they are for jobs in their chosen fields.

They are also tested on literacy and how good they are with numbers. A certificate with the results of the test can be used to bolster their applications.

This is followed by training sessions on topics such as writing resumes and handling interviews. Among other things, they are also taught how to deal with questions about their life behind bars.

The entire process takes about a month.

By the time the inmate meets his potential employer at the job fair, both parties already know what one another can bring to the table.

The Score and Singapore Prison Service team behind this project received a Home Team Achievement Award from Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, 28 more inmates applied for jobs in the marine, logistics and food and beverage industries, for jobs like waiters, drivers and welders.

At the end of the day, 23 were successful in their applications. One was rejected, and the applications of the remaining four were pending.

The 28 joined 505 others who applied for jobs under the project last year when it was launched. About 400 were successful.

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