Tailor Shop Ready For The Big Jobs


The tailor shop at the Medium Security Prisons is gearing itself to take on the big jobs. It has started to do the officers’ uniform and tailor officer POB Ranil Singh says that with a bit of skills upgrading and additional specialised machines the tailor could venture into controlled commercial activities.

“We have some very exceptional and talented sewers and others still need help in speed and quality,” POB Singh says, “but on the whole there is potential given the right guidance, direction and equipments.”

The tailor shop has not been working to its capacity of 25 machines.  The tailor employment allocation currently ranges from 10 to 15 inmates. It is equipped with straight sewing machines, overlock, bar tack, button tacker, button hole maker, twin needle and cutting machine.  So far the boys have been doing the officers number 7 and safari shirts for officers and 8 dresses which is the green that all officers wear. Otherwise the shop has traditionally been engaged in sewing uniforms for inmates.

The Commissioner of Prisons Brigadier General Ioane Naivalurua had invited visitors to inspect both the tailor and joinery shops and have been very impressed with what they saw. There has been some research undertaken to identify the range of products that could be produced at the tailor shop which have some realistic chance of competing in the open commercial market.

In recent years formal courses conducted and certified by the Training and Productivity Authority of Fiji(TPAF) have been carried out at the tailor shops in Naboro and the Womens Prison. Currrent and past inmates have attained certifications in basic sewing, basic machinist, and sewing trousers, bula shirts, business shirts and sulu vakataga.