Career starters
GIVING STUDENTS A START
Regional Education to Employment Coordinators are on hand to help employers engage with students and schools, as Hutt Valley Coordinator Amanda Walters explains.
M
any of us started working in jobs that were offered to us because of who we knew—usually a relative, neighbour or parents. It was relatively easy to get a foot in the door. CVs, cover letters and formal interviews were not required. Those of you with children will know that work experience is not as easy to obtain as it once was. Most opportunities for a student to connect into the plumbing industry happen through the Gateway programme. It is today’s reality that students are often not ‘work ready’ when they leave college, as they’ve had little or no engagement with an employer.
A START
80
I COULD BE…
078
nzplumber
Sharing your knowledge It is critical that your vast plumbing knowledge and skills are shared in schools, to ensure students learn about all construction-related trades and to continue the pipeline into employment for the next generation of workers. You have practical skills and connections that would be of great benefit to these young people. Taking this opportunity to engage with them helps increase their work readiness skills.
‘Middle person’ support New funding initiatives to help employers connect and engage with students and schools include 25 regional Education to Employment Coordinators to act as the ‘middle person’ between schools and employers. Their role is to support employers to connect with schools and provide information on the Apprenticeship
78 GIVING STUDENTS
Support Programme: a cross-agency government response to help employers retain and retrain new apprentices.
To contact your nearest Education to Employment Coordinator, email employer. engagement@education.govt.nz www.connected.govt.nz is the government’s one-stop-shop for employers wanting answers to education, employment and training questions, and includes direct links to relevant information on funding.
High-school students getting a taste for the building industry through a visit from a commercial construction business.
