8 August 2018
Employment opportunities abound for young people

The Porirua Youth 2 Work Movement has a proven track record of placing young job seekers into exciting jobs of their choice – more than 200 in total since starting in 2015. The upcoming JOBfest is their flagship event.

Michelle Robinson, Partners Porirua Executive Director, says the benefits of getting employers and job seekers in a room together have exceeded all expectations – and they’re about to do it all again.

This year JOBfest is being held on Wednesday 22 August at Pātaka Art + Museum (corner of Norrie and Parumoana streets, Porirua).

Young job seekers – from local colleges, training providers or who are registered with Work and Income – come along at set times throughout the day, with JOBfest open to the public from 1pm to 2pm.

“The reality for our young people today is they have more options than ever before. Our local employers are competing in a tight global marketplace and finding the right people for the job is getting harder.”

JOBfest gives employers the opportunity to get in front of local young job seekers and talk to them about genuine job opportunities, says Ms Robinson.

Porirua City Councillor Dale Williams is chair of the Porirua Youth 2 Work Movement advisory group and is delighted with the impact the Youth 2 Work Movement and JOBfest are having since becoming embedded in Porirua three years ago.

He says research conducted by Partners Porirua, leaders of the Porirua Youth 2 Work Movement, shows their initiatives are making a big impact.

“What the research shows is that in 2016, only two years ago, only five percent of school leavers they tracked were entering straight into work when exiting local secondary schools,” he says.

“Just two years later, with Youth 2 Work gathering momentum, more employer and partner signups and two successful JOBfest events in hand, the 2018 results are fantastic. Those going into further education are similar, but the number of school leavers tracked going into jobs is now up to 31 percent,” says Councillor Williams.

“Similarly, Porirua Work and Income had the lowest number of 18 to 24-year-old jobseekers in recent years during the December 2017 quarter, which demonstrates that most young jobseekers are very ‘moveable’ with the right kind of support and events such as JOBfest,” he says.

Councillor Williams says these successes are a huge boost to all those working with youth in the City – as well as for employers and young job seekers themselves.

“There are so many people who are working so hard, and under the radar, on this initiative. It’s great that all the hard work is paying off and we’re getting the results we were hoping for.”

JOBfest will be held on 22 August from 10am–3pm at Pātaka Art + Museum. It is open to the public from 1–2pm.

ends

© Scoop Media