Move to help kids deserves applause

Of all the various issues that have been turned over, dissected and debated as part of this year's election campaign, surely one of the most pressing is how to get our at-risk young people into jobs.

How good it is then to see positive steps being taken to address this problem here in Wanganui.

As reported in yesterday's Chronicle, the Whanganui Regional Primary Health Organisation (PHO) and the NZ Correspondence School have teamed up to try and help teens who have dropped out of school in the Gonville and Castlecliff areas.

After being approached by the PHO, the correspondence school last year appointed a learning adviser to be based in the Gonville Library and Cafe three days a week. There's now an opportunity for students who have dropped out of school to study, with their work being assessed by the correspondence school.

Most people now recognise the importance of formal education qualifications.

While there is, and will always be, a place for unskilled labour, it is becoming increasingly clear that to get ahead in life, a formalised qualification in some field is a necessity.

What this arrangement illustrates is the importance of not only thinking outside the square in terms of how we provide educational opportunities for our young people, but also the importance of refusing to give up on those same young people at the first hurdle.

New Zealand has a shocking history of young people who have drifted into lifetimes of crime and benefit dependency.

There are myriad reasons why this is so, but there can be no doubt that failure to secure meaningful long-term employment sits near the front of the list.

It's so often dismissed by a flippant phrase, a reference to people "slipping through the cracks".

But perhaps more needs to be done to fill in those cracks?

Success in turning one's life around will ultimately come down to the individual, as it should.

But as a country we need to recognise the need to sometimes give a helping hand, and that's what the PHO and the correspondence school have done here.

Their move should be applauded, and carefully monitored - the innovative, multi-agency approach is one which has the potential to make a real difference to the lives of young people not just in Wanganui, but across the country.

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