Youth education and unemployment tackled head on
Government agencies have identified more than 90,000 youth regarded as ‘NEETS’ (Not in Employment, Education or Training) across New Zealand and the figure is expected to rise. It’s an increasingly worrying problem for Bay of Plenty educators with the region having some of the highest numbers of NEETS and ranking amongst the lowest for educational achievement levels, particularly within Māori and Pasifika communities.
A group of education and career professionals from five Tauranga high schools and Bay of Plenty Polytechnic took a trip to Otorohanga last week to find out about a small town approach that is making a big difference to youth education and unemployment.
Otorohanga Mayor, Dale Williams, has been instrumental in setting up a Trades Academy in Otorohanga, developed in partnership with industry and education providers. The initiative is the only one of its kind in New Zealand and has received national acclaim.
Dale doesn’t mince his words when it comes to education for youth. “We need real people with real skills to do real jobs,” says Dale.
Not a big fan of ‘degrees for the sake of degrees’, Dale is a fan of old school work ethics, strong community and industry engagement, pastoral care and an unwavering belief that our youth are our most valuable resource to secure NZ’s economic future.
Every school leaver from Otorohanga College is contacted within 2 weeks of leaving school to see if they have a career plan in place, if they can be helped into a local job, or if there is a place for them on the Trades programme.
Employers ‘hand pick’ their apprentices from the trades programme based on their performance on their week long work experience blocks. Once into their apprenticeship they are supported with weekly contact, or as much support that is needed until they settle into their role, which Dale states is usually 4-7 months. It’s worth noting that through the ITO apprenticeship model only 33% complete their training within 5 years, under this innovative pastoral care model it’s 96%.
Representatives from Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, Tauranga Boys’, Tauranga Girls’, Katikati, Te Puke and Mount colleges went away with a plethora of ideas on how the Western Bay can apply a similar model.
NEETS are also on the political agenda with Grant Robertson, Deputy Labour Leader, addressing the issue with Bay of Plenty Polytechnic staff during his whirlwind ‘Save Our Polytechnic’s Tour’ of the country. “If we don’t invest in these young people, we will regret it later,” said Mr Robertson.
comments powered by Disqus