Vocational Support Officer

As a Vocational Support Officer (VSO), you will have the opportunity to share your industry knowledge with prisoners and equip them with valuable work skills. VSOs perform important roles in prisons across the State and work in a variety of areas including Farming and Food, Trades and Services.
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Working with the Department of Justice means a steady income and stable job with regular hours for tradespeople and farm staff.

Explore the interactive map below to discover current VSO job opportunities.

If you are a qualified chef or baker, farm operator or abattoir worker, horticulturalist or market gardener or have construction qualifications like cabinet making, metal and mechanical trades, why not trade on your skills and apply to become a Vocational Support Officer (VSO). The Department of Justice employs VSOs to support the rehabilitative journey of prisoners around WA.

VSOs share their industry knowledge with adult prisoners and equip them with valuable work and life skills. This important role benefits prisoners during their time in custody and when they return to the community.

VSOs provide a range of opportunities for people in custody such as learning to run working farms and market gardens and teaching textiles, trades, laundry, gardens and general maintenance.

VSOs impart valuable skills to enhance future employment prospects for prisoners, while teaching them responsibility and teamwork and help build pride in their ability to achieve.

Keeping food and textile production in-house also offers the prison estate a high level of self-sufficiency.

We’re currently hiring VSOs with Farming and Food qualifications. To see available positions, refer to the position descriptor guide.

To apply, visit the Department of Justice Jobs Board at doj-internet-wagov.bigredsky.com or explore current job opportunities below.

Can't find the role that you are looking for? Register your interest via email to  or call 1800 974 199.recruitment@justice.wa.gov.au

Hear from some of our VSOs

Vocational Support Officer Helen in the garden

Meet Helen

Meet Boronia Pre-Release Centre for Women’s Horticultural Instructor, Helen, helping show residents in care how to grow.
Vocational Support Officer watering plants

Meet Jane

Meet Wooroloo Prison Farm Gardens and Grounds Instructor, Jane, showing prisoners how to grow.
Vocational Support Officer Paul in the kitchen

Meet Paul

Meet Karnet Prison Farm Chef Instructor, Paul, helping prisoners serve the community.
Vocational Support Officer standing at Karnet Prison Farm

Meet Wes

Meet Karnet Prison Farm Dairy Officer, Wes, who is cultivating new careers.

Current job opportunities

Prison LocationPosition titleLevelRoster* Category
CasuarinaMarket Gardens InstructorVSO3 Monday to FridayGardens
CasuarinaMarket Gardens InstructorVSO3 Monday to FridayGardens
KarnetChef InstructorVSO3Monday to FridayCatering
MelaleucaChef Instructor (part time 0.5)VSO3Alternate weekend - 10 hrCatering
RoebourneGardens and Grounds OfficerVSO2 Monday to FridayGardens
WKRP (Derby)Gardens and Grounds InstructorVSO3 Monday to FridayGardens
WoorolooFarm InstructorVSO3 Monday to FridayFarming

* Category – During the online application process this is the category to select for the position you are interested in. 

Note:

  • If an applicant is successful to the appointment pool, they will be eligible for consideration for permanent or fixed term contract positions relevant to their qualifications and/or vocational competencies.
  • In the first instance, all permanent and temporary vacancies will be filled by recommended applicants from this selection process for the specific pool of positions. 
  • The remaining applicants found suitable in this pool, may be considered for subsequent, similar vacancies (equivalent to their qualification/vocational competencies), with the Department of Justice for the duration of the pool.

The Role

You'll not only help deliver community and industry programs aimed at preventing re-offending and encouraging prisoner participation, you'll also be making a positive difference in prisoners' lives.

Our vocational support officers provide training to prisoners and manage programs aimed at increasing the prisons' self-sufficiency and raising commercial return.

You'll also need to ensure that your work environment complies with occupational safety and health regulations and production meets quality standards.

The benefits

Our Vocational Support Officers enjoy a range of great benefits including:

  • employment security
  • flexible working conditions
  • generous leave entitlements including:
    • 5 or 6 weeks annual leave plus 17.5% leave loading
    • personal leave
    • parental leave (paid and unpaid)
    • study leave
    • long service leave after 7 years
    • purchased leave
  • competitive salary: $69,624 - $115, 282per annum* plus superannuation  (* Salary dependent on the position and according to the hours of duty and/or shift requirements)
  • opportunities for promotion
  • supplied uniforms
  • regional incentives (depending on the location)
  • the ability to utilise your trade skills to make a real difference to the lives of others.

* Note: some vocational support officer positions do not require qualifications and some involve shift work.

Eligibility

The people we seek include:

  • chefs
  • bakers
  • cabinet makers
  • metal and mechanical tradespeople
  • farm operators/farm managers
  • horticulturalists/market gardeners/groundsmen
  • laundry operators
  • automotive panel/paint repairers
  • abattoir workers
  • textile/garments manufacturing tradespeople.

When positions are advertised, the eligibility requirements will be outlined in the Application Package, including the specific salary range applicable to the position and the trade qualifications or skills required.

You'll need to be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or a New Zealand citizen.
 

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