Helping young people on an employment journey
Published on 19 July 2023
Whanganui’s Mayors Taskforce for Jobs has exceeded expectations with 18 young people in the Whanganui district placed into work since February.
Mayors Taskforce for Jobs programme facilitator, Rose Stokes, says the nationwide central government-funded initiative – set up 23 years ago – is targeted primarily at young people aged 16-25 years old who are not in employment, education or training and are facing barriers in finding employment.
“We have a great relationship with schools, the Ministry for Social Development and all sorts of local agencies connected with young people and they often make referrals but people also hear of us by word-of-mouth.
“The barriers people are facing in their job search might be dyslexia, autism, literacy issues, gaps in NCEA qualifications or perhaps they’ve just been to a lot of job interviews and aren’t getting any traction.”
Rose Stokes says the great thing about this programme is it’s tailored to the individual.
“Everyone’s different so when we’re working with someone we look at the person and think about their goals and the best step for them – it’s case-by-case.
“The support we provide might be anything from arranging work experience to help get a foot in the door to employment, encouraging people to achieve missing NCEA qualifications, setting people up with literacy help, or counselling, getting them interview clothes or a push bike or phone; whatever it is that helps them onto their journey to employment and makes their life easier.”
She says part of the job is knowing the local business community and other agencies who can support them.
“That way we can make sure the employer suits the person, instead of just putting them in anywhere.”
Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe signed up for Mayors Taskforce for Jobs in the first month of the mayoralty and is proud to support an initiative that is delivering great outcomes for locals.
“I regularly meet up for a conversation with young people who have been placed into employment through the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs and it’s something I thoroughly enjoy – it’s heart-warming to hear how this programme is making such a positive impact in their lives and giving them a leg-up towards a better future. In addition, it is helping our local businesses in a tight job market.”
Rose Stokes says of the 18 people placed in employment this year, 17 have fulltime positions and a diverse range of roles have been filled.
“It includes building and plumbing apprenticeships, admin internships, plasterer/painter work, hotel cleaning, literacy and numeracy tutoring, factory work, a service station job, barista work, wool pressing, traffic management, and dental assistant work – a real variety of stuff.”