Experienced officers receive inservice training to keep abreast of new ideas and procedures. Some complete home-study courses. Correction officers employed in Michigan must be certified. With additional education, experience, or training, qualified officers may advance to correction sergeant or other supervisory, administrative, or counseling positions. Many correctional institutions require experience as a correction officer for other corrections positions.
Officers sometimes transfer to related areas, such as probation and parole.
Job Outlook Job opportunities for correction officers are expected to be plentiful through the year 2005. The need to replace correction officers who transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force, coupled with rising employment demand, will generate several tens of thousands of job openings each year. Correctional institutions have traditionally experienced some difficulty in attracting qualified applicants, and this situation is expected to continue, ensuring highly favorable job prospects. Employment of correction officers is expected to increase much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2005 as additional officers are hired to supervise and counsel a growing inmate population. Expansion and new construction of correctional facilities also are expected to create many new jobs for correction officers, although State and local government budgetary constraints could affect the rate at which new facilities are built.