Auckland youth jobs plan signs up 51 companies

The Youth Employment Pledge is designed to help Auckland's 23,000 young jobseekers. Photo / Greg Bowker

More than 50 workplaces in Auckland have pledged to support young people become ready for work through Auckland's Youth Employment Pledge.

Mayor Len Brown said the initiative aims to help the 23,000 young jobseekers in and tackle Auckland's youth employment issue head-on.

"This is a significant milestone for our Youth Employment Plan and means employers are getting more and more of Auckland's young talent into work and career pathways," Brown said.

"That is the key objective but it also means that at the same time young people are being employed we are easing the critical skill shortage in a number of sectors."

The Youth Employer Pledge is delivered by Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic Development (ATEED) as part of the Auckland Council Youth Connections programme, and is supported by The Tindall Foundation.

Since January 2015 the Youth Connections programme has helped, directly or indirectly, more than 5000 young people become work ready and has unlocked more than 2000 job vacancies, filling nearly half of them.

"We have an impressive list of Auckland's biggest and best companies committed to a range of targets and activities and our young people are undoubtedly benefitting," Brown said.

Tonight a further 17 companies, including NZME publisher of the New Zealand Herald, will sign on, bringing the total number of employers included in the initiative to 51.