Astar offers a second chance – trains inmates to become chefs
March 19, 2024
Astar is collaborating with the Swedish Prison and Probation Service (Kriminalvården) and the Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) to help inmates in Luleå train as chefs, with the goal of securing employment after serving their sentences.
At the Luleå prison, a new restaurant kitchen has been built where inmates are trained as chefs under the supervision of Anna Larsson from Piteå. A trained chef with 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry, Larsson previously developed a similar culinary training program for inmates in Piteå.
– The restaurant industry needs workers, and there is a significant demand for this on the job market. I also know how much the inmates appreciate this program, she says in an interview with Piteå-Tidningen.
The training is part-time, and after 20 months, those who complete the program are fully qualified chefs. According to Larsson, the aim is to provide the inmates with the skills they need to reenter the workforce after serving their sentences.
– We work hard to ensure security and never compromise on the rules. There is zero tolerance for any misbehavior. Dangerous objects are kept locked away, and knives are chained down. We have clear rules, and all participants must sign a document agreeing to uphold the kitchen’s regulations, Larsson told Piteå-Tidningen.
The program has become very popular, and once it was announced, it only took a few days for all spots to be filled.
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