A new programme run by Whanake Youth, is supporting young people gain the confidence and skills needed to find jobs.
Whanake te Mahi is a new eight-week training programme for 18-24 year olds who have struggled to find work in the current economic climate. The programme is sponsored by MSD, and has involved volunteers from local government, charity, and business sectors.
“Recessions have a disproportionate impact upon our rangitahi, as employers have their pick of more experienced candidates,” says Whanake Youth manager, Lee-ann O’Brien. “Under-24s are over twice as likely to be unemployed right now, and many more are in part-time, casual or unstable employment.”
The cost of this – financially and otherwise – is significant. Research in the UK and elsewhere has shown that an extended period of unemployment while young has long-term effects on earnings, physical and mental health, on top of the cost of benefits. Job hunting can be a lonely, disheartening and confidence-sapping process.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the way that the local community has got involved,” Lee-ann says. “While working on participants’ confidence, teamwork and communication skills, we’ve had fantastic guest speakers like Rohan O’Neill-Stevens, Paul Hampton, and Linda Moore.
Local businesses have also been generous with their support. Danielle Esplin from Pic’s Peanut Butter spoke about promoting yourself, and helped participants with their personal statements as part of a CV Day. Pic’s Peanut Butter will also be hosting a workplace visit, which Port Nelson and Stonewood Homes have also done.
Further support has come from A-temp through a talk about the local market, followed by paid casual work for at least one participant, and local IT firm CNX, who provided two of the five volunteers for a professional mock interview day.
Whanake Youth has offered a unique mix of wraparound support for course participants, working 1-1 with specialists in health and wellbeing, youth and social work.
The focus throughout the programme has been on mindset - gaining confidence, setting goals, breaking through barriers, and taking focused action to find and keep a job.
“Now they’re completing this step on their journey, we’re looking for organisations who are willing to give young people a step up into employment”, says Lee-ann.
“We’d also love to hear from anyone who’d like to get involved in future programmes, in whatever capacity”.
12 Young people embarked in this inaugural course, many with no life direction. Four young people share the highs and lows and how the course has helped them find direction.
Paige Baker
I started in the endless void of not having a job. I just completed an acting course. From there, I kind of was expecting people would love me for a customer service job, because I’m an actor. And turns out that, unfortunately, it hasn’t done a lot for me so far. I can speak on behalf of everyone, building teamwork, having an open mind, and understanding that there’s more to applying for jobs than just throwing a resume on a website. I feel like the sky’s the limit.
Dionte Pirere
I left high school at 15, I think it was or 16, somewhere around there.
I always had a thought in the back of my head on what I wanted to do, but completing it was kind of impossible in my brain. I thought training would be important, because I want to work in the disability sector. I always wanted to do something in a care. Helping people was my main passion, especially the less fortunate people. And the course let me actually not just dream about it, but come to life.
Tristan Bulmer, 21
I left school two or three years ago. I did go to NMIT for a year but I didn’t have a very good time there. I only did the first two weeks of this course every day, and then I was going in to the workplace, doing interviews and then working there. So, after that, I was only in one day a week, but I definitely got quite a lot out of it. Even the first two weeks was enough for me to get the confidence to contact them and they gave me a job in programming.
Sam Grooby, 23
I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I didn’t know how to start looking for what I wanted to do. With all the support here it’s been amazing, they’ve been able to pinpoint what I’d be good at and given me a bit more direction in my life. I’ve boosted a lot of my confidence, and done a lot of team building. People are the biggest thing, I can enjoy any job if I’m working with the right people.
