9 September 2016

Creating youth employment opportunities in Waikato

Waikato District Council looks forward to meeting with more than 100 employers, educators and other community leaders in the district at the launch of a new initiative on Wednesday 14 September to encourage more employment opportunities for Waikato youth.

Futureforce Action Network (FAN) is an initiative operated by Smart Waikato Trust to enable better linkages between education and the Waikato workplace for the benefit of young people and their whanau. It will be launched in partnership with Waikato District Council and Genesis Energy at a free event at Huntly Power Station’s Seminar Rooms on Wednesday 14 September from 4.30-6.30pm.

Waikato District Council chief executive, Gavin Ion, says “Providing gainful employment for our youth is vital for our district’s future. This initiative has been brought to fruition with the strong support of the Council’s Open Waikato economic development team. We’re sponsoring this initiative in line with the Council’s economic development and youth engagement strategies to help advance opportunities for our district’s youth, and to help build an enduring sense of community as our district grows.”

Smart Waikato’s FAN project manager Linda Nelson Caie says the network gives employers free access to on-line tools designed to help them offer more work-based opportunities to youth.

FAN events create a meeting point where employers network with educators, other employers and agencies and hear about best practice associated with guiding, developing and retaining youth through work and work-related training, she says.

“There are simple ways employers can improve the experience of work and this is about giving them the tools to do that. Many employers want to successfully offer work opportunities to a young person and the support of FAN helps them make it a reality,” she says.

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