The Right To Work:South Auckland Case Study

Getting young people into work is about preparing them for work and ensuring they have ongoing support: sustainable youth employment isn’t a tick the box exercise.

This is a key finding in the Human Rights Commission’s latest piece of work on youth employment, The Right To Work which focused on young people seeking work in South Auckland, Northland as well as disabled job seekers.

“Jobs change lives. Particularly in the disadvantaged communities we have been talking with. When one young person finds long term employment the entire family dynamic often changes for the better,” said EEO Commissioner Jackie Blue.

“These case studies highlight the need to focus on ‘work readiness’ and helping young people to gain the confidence, skills and attitudes necessary to find a job and build a career.”

“They also demonstrate the importance of providing ongoing support and pastoral care when a young person begins a new job, smoothing the way for both employer and employee.”

The Right To Work continues the Commission’s focus on young New Zealanders and their right to work, highlighted in its National Conversation about Work in 2009 and Tracking Equality at Work in 2011 in which the Commission described the work future for young Kiwis as a “ticking time bomb”. In 2012 the Commission welcomed the national youth to work strategy rolled out by the Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs.

“The Right To Work is about building the aspirations of young New Zealanders and ensuring communities and especially businesses understand and embrace the long term benefits of employing young people,” said Dr Blue.

She paid tribute to the many youth providers supporting young New Zealanders in some of New Zealand’s poorest communities.

“I was bowled over by the youth providers that work in this space. They were passionate and all went beyond the call of their contractual requirements. They stressed the importance of getting youth ‘work ready’ followed by job hunting/matching and crucially supporting both the youth and employer once in the job.”

South Auckland Case Study

By focusing on work readiness, job placement and post-employment support, CadetMax has supported more than 600 young Māori and Pacific people into employment since 2008. The Auckland Chamber of Commerce initiative supports job seekers receiving Work and Income benefits to find jobs.

“Finding a job is a very scary experience for a young person,” says CadetMax General Manager, Leah Gates.

“Most young people that come to CadetMax have never been employed before. They can be frightened - so the first thing we do is give them a mega boost in confidence.”

From understanding day to day workplace skills like getting to work on time – all the time and understanding an employment contract or a time sheet the support is practical support for young people who have never worked before.

With 95 per cent of their clients reaching the critical milestone of continuous employment for six months or more, In-Work NZ Ltd is committed to helping young Māori and Pacific job seekers get a job and keep it.

“In-Work NZ Ltd will do whatever it takes to help young Māori and Pacific people into employment, says Managing Director,” Adrian Roberts.

“Our focus is on preparing people for work, placing people into work, supporting people at work and retaining people in work.”

In-Work NZ Ltd uses a welfare-to-work approach, assisting young people on unemployment benefits to enter the workforce. Since 2001 it has supported thousands of young people from South Auckland into local jobs.

Being “work ready” is everything from interview skills through to making sure they have a bank account and an IRD number.

“Some young people we meet have developed bad habits over time and we need to get them to the stage where they can turn up on time, dressed appropriately and with the confidence to knock on doors and put themselves forward,” said Mr Roberts.

In-Work has found that family support is crucial for a young person to stay in work: “A big part of our work is making home visits. By regularly meeting with parents and families we can get their buy-in and work together with them to support their child into employment.”

Find out more about what’s working in South Auckland and The Right To Work:

Website: http://www.hrc.co.nz/eeo/the-right-to-work-maximising-the-employment-potential-of-young-new-zealanders/

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