Rotorua youth explore trade opportunities at Upgrade with a Trade

Rotorua youth will explore opportunities in trades and connect with employers at event. Photo / Gettys

Rotorua youth will explore opportunities in trades and connect with employers at the Upgrade with a Trade careers event tomorrow.

The event at the Rotorua Community Centre is a collaboration between the Ministry of Education and Rotorua Community Youth Centre Trust.

The trust is a delivery partner for youthHub, which gives young people the opportunity to explore career opportunities across a range of trades and to meet with employers.

Rotorua Youth Centre Trust chairman John McRae said the outcomes for youthHub were not just about connecting youth to training, work experience and job opportunities but also showing the opportunities that exist and help young people understand how they can transition, with support, into a viable career.

"It operates alongside other life-skills oriented programmes we run. We're getting some good results for both young people and employers and this event will be an extension of that so we're really pleased to be partnering with the Ministry on this."

Ministry of Education's director of education for the Bay of Plenty Waiariki Ezra Schuster said this was a great opportunity to strengthen partnerships between schools and employers in Rotorua to support young people as they transitioned into adult life and work.

"As students get to secondary school, many of them will start to think about what they want to do after school. This event is an opportunity for them to be exposed to what's out there and see the options available."

The event includes speed meets, where students will meet each employer for an interview within a time period.

At the end of each interview, both the student and employer will note whether they're keen to explore a career opportunity.

After the event the organisers will match these notes and contact the students and employers who have indicated interest to proceed to the next stage towards an offer of training, work experience or employment.

Schuster said what was great about the event was that students were hearing directly from employers what the industry can offer them and the qualities they're looking for in an employee.

"If it's a perfect fit between the student and the employer during the speed meet, then they already got their foot in the door towards a career that matches their interests and aspirations.

"We hope this event opens more opportunities for schools, employers and the wider community to work together in providing training and employment pathways to young people in our region."