Photos: Northland students get hands-on trade and study tips

NZDF Staff Sergeant Beno Penney greets Whangārei Boys' High student Eric Ogden at the Northland Industry Experience Event yesterday.

Northland senior high school students have been given a taste of what's needed for them to get into the workforce when they leave school. Northland Skills Group and local businesses held a new event for 16- to 18-year-olds to help them get into the workforce yesterday.

The Northland Industry Experience Event, at Whangārei Boys' High School, saw almost 700 students from 14 schools across the region turn up to find out what was needed.

Natalie Lloyd, from Skills Group, said the idea was to provide students with a fun, exciting and interactive event to show them what was out there career-wise.

''It's not like the normal careers expo where you hand out a few pamphlets,''

As well as businesses and training organisations there was also Surf Lifesaving NZ and the NZ Defence Force.

Northern Advocate photographer John Stone went along too.

Colin Kilpatrick from Master Link talks plumbing with Whangārei Boys' High students, from left, Ady Jones, Luca Matenga and Blake Pegram.

Whangārei Boys' High student Tyrese Mataiti sprints to the target shooting test carrying two 20 litre containers of water.

Whangārei Boys' High student David Page powering through the fitness test.

Chris Douglas from Northland Scaffolding watches Whangārei Boys' High students Jaron Molloy, Maxwell Eilering and Angus Campbell assemble a mini scaffold.