New initiative to increase youth employment

5 May 2011

The Workchoice Trust challenges New Zealand business to embrace the new government initiative to increase youth employment rates

The recent announcement by Social Development Minister, Paula Bennett, is music to the ears of members of The Workchoice Trust, the organisation that runs Workchoice Day - a programme designed to give high school students career exposure and help them make informed decisions about where they are headed with their career.

In preparation to Workchoice Day, the Trust collects information from schools on where current student interest lies in order to match them up with the correct companies to visit. This process enables Workchoice Trust to gain a real insight into where skills shortages are occurring and where there is a complete lack of knowledge gap for teenagers looking to develop careers in certain areas.

“This year we have seen a lack of interest in Aged Health Care, an industry recognised as having a very high demand for workers. We believe this is because students have no idea of the opportunities in this industry, what is involved in a job in this field, and where they can get that information,” Kathy McCombe, CEO, says.

Along with Aged Health Care, McCombe has seen a lack of student interest in other high worker demand areas such as Information, Communications and Technology. She says a major contributing factor is the image of these industries,”

“They dont seem glamorous because these industries do not promote themselves to young people as viable youth-focused areas of work. This needs to change if we want to ensure we can meet our skills shortages. We need to educate our youth about the benefits of these careers.”

Consistently several industries still attract a lot of student interest and it is not surprising that these are perceived as some of the more attractive jobs.

“We consistently see high demand for placements in Law and Commerce, Engineering and Construction, Design and Arts, and Media and Advertising,” says McCombe.

2011 has heralded some positive changes, with substantial growth in the number of students seeking experience in Social Welfare and Community Development. This need is being catered to by the participation of the Ministry of Social Development who are providing visit locations throughout the country.

Workchoice Day receives support from the business community each year with more than 200 business participating for 2011 and approximately 5000 students going out on Workchoice Day. However, there is still demand for this years Workchoice Day placements in many areas where the Trust can just not find enough companies to host students. The highest demand lies within the Law and Protection industry, with

several students missing out on the opportunity to gain valuable experience in a crucial industry. Another industry where more placements is required is Science and Technology.

“We have high achieving students wanting to start careers in some of our most important fields, and there is a no support for them. It is a real shame,” says McCombe

Workchoice Day directly addresses New Zealands National Education Goals „to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills needed by New Zealanders to compete successfully in the modern, ever-changing world.

“If every company looked at hiring one under-24 year-old we could seriously decrease the youth unemployment rate. It is very heartening to see the government taking steps to alleviate this issue but they can not be expected to do it all on their own. Workchoice would like to challenge New Zealand businesses to invest in their own future by investing in our youth.”

ENDS

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