Teenagers ready for job hunting

Employers and educators concerned school leavers aren’t ready for work are offering teens a ‘‘how to’’ pre-employment guide.

The Work Ready Passport was designed by Manawatu industry representatives and is being launched at the Sort It careers expo on Thursday. It lists 10 essential skills and qualities local employers say are crucial when considering job candidates.

The scheme provides suggestions for teens to develop and prove these attributes. Help offered includes mentoring and work experience matches with local companies, guidance writing a CV and an industry panel that signs off the completed passport and congratulates each person who completes it.

Acting chief executive of the Manawatu Chamber of Commerce Amanda Linsley says a number of industries in Manawatu are crying out for employees, but still find it difficult to find suitable candidates. Meanwhile, young school leavers are frustrated at how hard it is to get on the career ladder with no experience. ‘‘There’s things a lot of them will be doing already – if they’re working part time they will have already had a health and safety briefing, or they may do childcare for friends and family.’’

Several employers have said school leavers with the passport would have ‘‘a significant advantage’’ over someone with no proof of these things. The 10-item checklist is: Work experience, references, driver licence, team work, being drug free, life skills, personal wellness, academic achievements, managing your money, and health and safety at work.

Ideally, young people would start working on the checklist while still at school, to prepare them for leaving, Linsley said. A number of schools were interested in introducing it.

St Peter’s College principal David Olivier helped develop the programme and will introduce the passport. He has previously trialled a similar in-house programme at the school and believes it should be considered a priority for all high schools, so young people are prepared for the real world.

‘‘The aim [of this] is to say: ‘What can we do to better link secondary schools with tertiary providers and industry in our region’?’’

Bidfoods Palmerston North general manager Andrus Lei also contributed to the development, and said the transport and logistics sector was an area where more workready young people were needed.

However, most did not know about the range of roles or careers available in it.

‘‘There’s huge opportunities and it’s not really pushed right from high school. I believe we’re one of the biggest employers in the Manawatu.’’

He hires people based on attitude as well as skill and says the passport will give insight. ‘‘It’s a really great concept.’’

David Spiers, of David Spiers and Sons Builders, welcomed the idea. New apprentices take about a year before they become useful to the company, so it was important to take on the right person from the start. It was tricky to judge who would be suitable.

‘‘It’s awkward. You look at their personality and their outlook in life, whether they’re a positive person and if they’ve got a little bit of ambition. A lot of it’s attitude. A lot of them don’t want to get up in the morning.’’

The programme would be worthwhile for employers to back, he said.