World of career opportunities awaits youngsters
Philip Nuu is 36 and has already been down five employment avenues, from soldier to barber.
Now, as a senior youth worker at Youth and Cultural Development in Christchurch, he uses his passion for music to turn around the lives of troubled young people.
He loves to watch young people respond to live music, often for the first time. ‘‘A lot of rap gigs are R18, so the young people can’t go.’’
After Nuu left high school in 1996 he studied jazz before becoming a limited service volunteer with the army.
He took the life skills he learned to CareerLink College in Christchurch, where he completed a diploma in hotel management.
This led to jobs as duty manager But if they are open to they’re away laughing.’’
Got a Trade Week begins on Monday, raising awareness of careers in 140 trades and services in New Zealand. Chairman of the industry venture, Andrew Robertson, says New Zealand’s skills shortage is real and needs to be learning, and food and beverage supervisor at major hotels in Nelson and Christchurch.
After a few years his quest for something different led him to apply for a mentor position at YCD.
As well as his work with youngsters, the father of five is a barber three nights a week in one of the city’s busiest hair-cutting establishments, where he’s a dab hand with a cut-throat razor. Then there is volunteer work and sports with groups of young people on Saturdays, as well as his own study projects.
His parents came to New Zealand from Samoa when they were teenagers and his father took up trade training in welding, which he still does today.
By contrast, Nuu said young people these days are exposed to urgently addressed if the economy is to remain buoyant. ‘‘There is a worrying trend of major shortfalls being predicted and by 2020 there will be high demand for employment created by industry growth and replacement demand across all sectors,’’ he said.
Data from recruitment site Seek shows the average time New Zealanders of all ages expect to spend in their role is 9.2 years.
Those aged up to 24 had only spent an average seven to 12 months in their roles while those aged 25 to 34 had spent between two and three years. Older people had been in their jobs up to seven years.
But Kennelly said even Millenials could end up wanting more stability in their jobs over time. ‘‘As you get older, you get more riskaverse. There are significant triggers in people’s lives, such as settling down and starting a family, that’s when people want to forge a many more career opportunities through school and training organisations.
He encourages them to have a go at anything and everything. ‘‘When you’re young it doesn’t matter – you can just get up and go.’’
As well as opening their eyes to various opportunities in sport and the community, he’ll take them to Careers Expo events.
Many of the work opportunities he finds are through friends who might own their own business and can take on an extra plumber of labourer. ‘‘If I think there’s an opportunity at a business I see I’ll just front up and talk to them.’’
It’s gratifying to see former clients with their own children. ‘‘That’s what brings a smile to my face, seeing these young people in work and enjoying their own kids.’’ more secure pathway.’’
Harmer said that had case for her.
Until her daughter was born five years ago she was happy to cruise around without much direction.
‘‘When I had my daughter, that was a wake-up call. My life changed dramatically.’’ been the