25 students from Kāpiti and Paraparaumu Colleges were interviewed by Kāpiti employers at the first #EmployerMeet held at Kāpiti College last night, by Work Ready Kāpiti.

The event was designed to give aspiring students more contact with local employers and increase their experience and confidence when applying for jobs, as part of Work Ready Kāpiti’s wider programme to support more local young people into work and build enduring relationships with local employers.

Bryan Gundersen, Chair of Work Ready Kāpiti, says support from local businesses continues to grow.

“We had a range of employers involved - Caci Kāpiti, Café Te Horo, Goodman Contractors Limited, KiwiBank Kāpiti, NZ Police, Oasis Coffee Cart, PAK’nSAVE Kāpiti, Pzazz Building Kāpiti, Star People HR & Recruitment, The Law Connection, and Thomson Plumbing and Gasfitting.

“Employers, parents, teachers and students recognise Work Ready Kāpiti offers useful tools to help youth into employment - those that go through our programme leave with a real advantage,” says Bryan Gundersen.

Donna Rider, owner of Kāpiti’s award-winning Caci Clinic, says she took part because she wants to help more youth be better prepared to enter the workforce.

“Kāpiti is a vibrant, growing community. I want to encourage our young people to put their hand up, say yes and give it a go. We also need to ensure our economy continues to grow so we can support more young people to live and work in Kāpiti,” says Donna Rider.

Students at last night’s event said it gave them more confidence and opened their eyes to a bigger future of possibilities. Kim Kelly from Paraparaumu College Careers says it was great to see students go out of their comfort zones.

“It was so awesome to see this connection being made between employers and students. There was such a buzz in the room as they got to know each other. I was blown away by the politeness and confidence of the students and the kindness and wisdom that was offered by our local employers,” says Kim Kelly.

As well as the #EmployerMeet event, Work Ready Kāpiti also hosts the #WRKawards and the Work Ready Passport. These are all available through Kāpiti, Paraparaumu, and Ōtaki Colleges, and Whitireia New Zealand. Work Ready Kāpiti hopes to get other Kura and colleges on board in 2019.

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