In collaboration with the Ashburton District Council and the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), Ara Institute of Canterbury Ltd has developed a new series of job seeker workshops.

In recognition of the impact that COVID-19 has had upon New Zealand industry, the new “job seeker” program was created to help people gain the specific skills and tools that they’ll need for the successful pursuit of employment.

The five two-hour workshops workshops are designed sequentially to support individuals through all of the stages of a job hunt, from initial search to final interview. The workshops are open to anyone who would appreciate help with polishing up their CV, writing effective cover letters, gaining helpful interview techniques and learning the most important tips and tricks when applying for jobs online. Learners can register for all five of the workshops or just select the ones that best suit their requirements.

The range of short courses will be delivered online initially, in light of New Zealand’s current Alert Level 2, and in order to facilitate access for people living throughout the region. However, the plan is to make the courses available on a face-to-face basis in the near future.

Specific two-hour courses include “Digital Skills For Job Seekers”, “Preparation For Job Seeking”, which prioritises soft skills such as how to give a good impression to prospective employers; “Creating And Updating A CV” where attendees have their end product ‘quality-checked’ by Ara’s qualified Careers team; “Applying For Jobs Online”, which includes information about creating and using professional online profiles such as LinkedIn, and “Interview Skills” which prepares learners for the most likely interview questions and scenarios.

Bevan Rickerby, Economic Development Manager at the Ashburton District Council, says “The need for the Ashburton District to have a range of courses to help those transitioning to other employment is essential. To have these courses available so quickly has been a great collaboration between MSD, ADC and ARA.”

To find out more about the workshops and register to attend, visit Ara at: https://www.ara.ac.nz/industry-and-research/job-seekers-workshops. As these courses were created in collaboration with MSD, they have been approved for the ‘Course Participation Assistance’ fund so Work and Income clients receiving main benefits may be entitled to financial assistance to attend the workshops.

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