For current and future workforce adaptation based on profiles of competencies, recognition of prior learning, micro-credentialing and certification, following correctional systemic changes in Europe.

The “RESIZE” project—Reshaping Correctional Competencies through RESCALED Innovation—is an innovative European partnership designed to address the evolving needs of the staff within the correctional ecosystem. Running from 2025 to 2029 and led by CPIP Romania, RESIZE builds upon the LiberateSkill Pact for Skills. The project will focus on upskilling correctional professionals to navigate and adapt to ongoing systemic changes across Europe. This will be achieved through micro-credentialing, certification, and the recognition of prior learning, ensuring a more dynamic approach to staff development.

The project focuses on small-scale, community-integrated detention houses that align with the RESCALED concept striving to enhance correctional standards and practices. As one of only eight Blueprint Alliances selected by the EU, RESIZE emphasizes a more humane and effective approach to detention, promoting integrated detention houses that prioritize both reintegration and community integration.

With the active collaboration of 24 partner organizations, RESIZE is set to drive transformative change in the future of detention across Europe.

Objectives

The RESIZE project is designed to address the evolving needs of correctional professionals in response to the transition towards small-scale detention houses and a broader shift towards a focus on reintegration and reform. This shift directly impacts the reskilling and upskilling of correctional staff in several key areas:

Focus on rehabilitation techniques: As the correctional system places greater emphasis on reintegration and social integration, there is an increasing demand for staff skilled in counseling, social work, and reintegration techniques. This requires the reskilling of current employees and the upskilling of new hires to effectively engage with incarcerated people in programs that support their successful reintegration into society.

Community-integration: Small-scale detention houses emphasize community integration and support systems as part of the reintegration process. Correctional staff working in these settings require training in community engagement, outreach, and collaboration with external stakeholders such as social services, educational institutions, and local community organizations. Reskilling programs can provide staff with the necessary competencies to foster positive relationships with community partners and facilitate successful offender reintegration.

Interdisciplinary collaboration: The shift towards rehabilitation-oriented correctional practices underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration within the workforce. Correctional staff need to work closely with professionals from diverse fields, including mental health specialists, substance abuse counselors, educators, and social workers, to address the complex needs of incarcerated people. Reskilling initiatives can promote cross-disciplinary training and teamwork, enabling staff to effectively collaborate with colleagues from different backgrounds and expertise areas.

Adoption of innovative practices: As detention houses embrace innovative approaches to incarceration, such as restorative justice, trauma-informed care, and cognitive-behavioral therapy, correctional staff must be equipped with the knowledge and skills to implement these practices effectively. Reskilling programs can introduce staff to evidence-based interventions and provide training in their implementation, ensuring that they are equipped to support the rehabilitation and well-being of incarcerated people.

Work packages

To achieve these objectives, RESIZE is organized into five structured work packages (WPs):

• Workpackage 1: Management and coordination of the project, ensuring effective dissemination, quality assurance, and evaluation of project outputs.
• Workpackage 2: Conducting a comprehensive needs assessment to identify the skills gaps and training requirements within the correctional workforce.
• Workpackage 3: Development of a European Qualification Map and Correctional Core Competencies Curricula, providing a standardized framework for training programs.
• Workpackage 4: Delivery of Core Curricula and training programs, emphasizing a lifelong learning continuum and specialized tracks within Centers of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs).
• Workpackage 5: Designing a Long-Term Action Plan for sustainable workforce development, visibility, and dissemination. This includes the establishment of Regional Pacts for Skills, a European Correctional Competencies Observatory, a Micro-credentialing Catalogue, and policy proposals for implementing Recognition, Validation, and Accreditation (RVA).

RESIZE represents a significant step forward in reshaping correctional training, ensuring that correctional professionals across Europe are equipped to work within a modern, rehabilitation-focused detention system.

Results

The project aims to implement regional Pacts for Skills and develop high-quality curricula to enhance the competencies of both current and future staff within the ecosystem of correctional facilities. This will ensure that staff are equipped with the necessary skills to effectively engage in changing correctional practices, support community-based detention models and address the complex needs of incarcerated people.

Consortium of Partners

Romania: Centrul Pentru Promovarea Invatarii Permanente (CPIP) (Project leader), Penitenciarul Timisoara, Penitenciarul Gherla, Greece: The Greek federation of Correctional Officers (OSYE), Athens Lifelong Learning Institute, Odyssea AMKE, Panepistimio Aigaiou (University of the Aegean) Slovenia: CIK TREBNJE SI Spain: Universidad de Valladolid, Qualificalia Analytics, S.L. Denmark: BrainLog, Danish Prison Union Albania: Luarasi University, Shërbimi i Kontrollit të Brendshëm në Sistemin e Burgjeve Austria: Richtungswechsel Croatia: Ustanova za Obrazovanje Odraslih Dante Italy: Centro Internazionale per la Promozione dell’Educazione e lo Sviluppo (CEIPES), Centro Studi – Opera Don Calabria,  Germany: Interchange Non-Profit (GUG) North Macedonia: Stabilitas Skopje Portugal: Aproximar – Cooperativa de Solidariedade Social Bosnia and Herzegovina: Univerzitet u Istocnom Sarajevu,  Switzerland: United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Belgium: RESCALED