May 10, 2016

JobFest 16 – young job seekers reach for the sky

The sky is the limit for the thousands of young jobseekers expected to descend upon The Cloud tomorrow (Wednesday, May 11) for the country’s largest youth employment event.

JobFest brings together young Auckland jobseekers and more than 65 leading employers, all of whom are actively looking to recruit. The event showcases career opportunities, and includes presentations by employers, and workshops to help young people get work-ready.

Auckland Council’s Youth Connections and Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (ATEED), in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development, CareersNZ and The Tindall Foundation, created the first JobFest in 2015 after identifying a clear need to bring young job-seekers and businesses together.

Auckland Mayor Len Brown said the council held the unique position of sitting within and alongside business and local communities, which enabled it and its partners to both identify and meet the needs of both groups.

“We were able to hear many of Auckland’s 23,000 unemployed youth highlighting the barrier that not having direct access to employers was to them gaining employment, while at the same time knowing from the business community that several industry sectors were facing skills shortages,” he says.

“JobFest was created to break down that barrier and bring young people and employers face to face. And the JobFest events have been hugely successful.

“Last year’s two events each attracted around 2000 young people and over 60 employers. And as a result of JobFest, 300 young Aucklanders now have full-time jobs and hundreds more gained other opportunities and the skills they needed to go on and get jobs after the event.”

Mayor Brown says one of the things that makes JobFest so successful is the fact the majority of the businesses represented are Auckland Council Youth Employment Pledge partners.

“We now have more than 50 pledge partners, which gives me great hope for the future of our city. These businesses have committed to employing Auckland’s youth talent, drive innovation, and supporting the wider business community to prepare for the next generation of workers.”

Pledge partners include Xero, The Warehouse, Hays, Fletcher Building, SKYCITY and NZME, all of which are keen to see young people looking for jobs in person instead of a faceless CV.

JobFest 2016 takes place between 10am and 2pm onWednesday 11 May at The Cloud on Auckland’s Queens Wharf.Entry is free for all jobseekers aged between 16 and 25. For more information go to www.jobfest.co.nz

ENDS

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