A Christchurch youth health provider has bolstered its employment team after being shoulder-tapped to trial a new programme to get young jobseekers into work.

The programme, which will be provided by Te Tahi Youth, is open to 18- to 24-year-olds who have been on Jobseeker Support for at least 12 months or who used to be on the Youth Payment and have transitioned to Jobseeker Support.

Te Tahi Youth is the only provider in Canterbury asked to pilot the programme and, with 50 spaces, will be the largest provider nationwide.

Te Tahi Youth Employment Team Leader Simon Britten says young people are already putting their name forward to be a part of it.

“The response to the programme has been overwhelmingly positive from the young people we have engaged with as well as the team from the Ministry of Social Development, who are referring people to us.

“It’s a real credit to our team and a recognition of the success we have achieved to date supporting young people into employment,” Britten says.

The programme will run on a similar model to Te Tahi Youth’s current approach to employment support but on a bigger scale.

“We will be working alongside each young person looking at what’s going on for them and asking how we can help them plan for their future.

“We will help them prepare for work, supporting them with employability and interview skills and visiting workplaces so they get some first-hand experience.

“It’s a formula we know works and we’re delighted to have the chance to offer it to more young people,” Britten says.

For 18-year-old Jono Bennett, working with the Te Tahi Youth Employment Team was the chance of a lifetime.

After months of hard work and commitment from Bennett, he was offered his first permanent job at Novotel in Christchurch this year.

“It was a shock to the heart. I wasn’t expecting it at all,” he says.

Working alongside Kaimahi Nathan Mitchell and Employment Advisor Caitlin Harris, Bennett built a CV, got some work experience, and developed his confidence to connect with potential employers – and more.

Now with a job and driving lessons secured, Bennett feels as though he is “growing up” towards the person he wants to be.

“It feels good being more independent,” he says.

“If there’s anything I’d say to young people like me, it’s don’t sit there and do nothing. Get up and do anything. Find that motivation and run with it.”

About Te Tahi Youth

Te Tahi Youth was launched in 1995 by Dame Sue Bagshaw (originally launched as Youth 198 at 198 Hereford Street). 198 Youth was the second youth-one-stop shop in New Zealand. There are now ten youth-stop-shop services in Aotearoa offering a range of free, accessible primary healthcare services all under one roof.

198 Youth renamed itself to Youth 298 in 2012 when it moved to its Barbadoes Street site after the earthquakes. In 2019 it moved to its current site on the corner of Churchill St and Bealey Ave. Today, as Te Tahi Youth, it has a team of 35 doctors, nurses, counsellors, youth workers, social workers, and employment specialists.

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