Council opens its doors to students
Published on 19 December 2018
In 2019 Whanganui District Council will open its doors to provide work experience to selected students.
The ‘Career Taster’ programme has been developed in conjunction with 100% SWEET, who are tasked with getting Whanganui youth into employment and training.
Open to students aged 16-19 years (either still at secondary school or recent school leavers), the programme will run in Terms 1-3, with various areas of the Council offering a week’s work experience each term, in most cases.
According to Catherine Dutton, Whanganui District Council’s Human Resources Manager, “This programme offers students an unprecedented opportunity to gain an insight into a work area which interests them”.
“The Council is a great place to work because we have such a wonderfully diverse range of occupations”.
In Term 1, work experience roles will be available with each of these Council teams: Civil Defence and Emergency, Planning, Communications, Property and Compliance.
“We have intentionally made the application process as authentic as possible, so students learn about everything from submitting an application, to shortlisting, to attending an interview, to receiving feedback”, says Ms Dutton.
Applications for Term 1 close at 5.00pm on 27 January 2019. See the Council’s online Careers page for detailed information about how to apply: https://whanganuidc.recruitmenthub.co.nz/Vacancies/4459997/title/Whanganui-District-Council-Career-Taster-Programme
Later in the year work experience roles will be available with a range of other Council teams. In Term 2 opportunities are likely to be available with Policy, Human Resources, Arts, and Whanganui & Partners. In Term 3 students can potentially try a week with Libraries, IT/Business Solutions, Venues & Events or Finance.
Ms Dutton says, “It’s great to be able to develop our future workforce and show our youth the opportunities that exist for them here in Whanganui”.
Image: Catherine Dutton, Whanganui District Council's Human Resources Manager, perusing the 'Make Great Happen' Career Taster booklet with Jason Shailer, Youth Manager at 100% SWEET