First Coast-wide careers expo

Media Release 19th April 2004

First Coast-wide careers expo

A dedicated West Coast Careers Expo will tour Hokitika, Greymouth and Westport in August.

Targeting West Coast students and adults, the Expo will showcase a range of career options, training courses and recruitment assistance available from various West Coast education providers and businesses.

The event has been made possible by a $6,000 grant from The West Coast Development Trust.

“We were very pleased to support this initiative because it’s the first time a truly Coast-wide careers expo has been planned that’s tailored to local needs,” says West Coast Development Trust chief executive Mike Trousselot.

The Expo has been co-organised by careers specialists from throughout the region including career advisors, REAP (Rural Education Activities Programme workers) and recruitment service providers Recruit West Coast. Previous expos have been more focused by district - a careers road show in 2000 was organised by Westland REAP while another in 2002 was staged by Westland and Buller REAP.

Recruit West Coast’s Tania Huckle says a lot was learned from these previous events. For example, broader public attendance will be encouraged by holding this year’s Expo in more public venues rather than school halls.

“The organising group plans to hold the event every two years”, says Tania. “It’s based on a successful model developed in Nelson which attracted 35 exhibitors in 2002 and has become self-funding.”

The West Coast Careers Expo will visit Hokitika on the 24th of August, Greymouth on the 25th and Westport on the 26th.

“This is an excellent example of everyone working together from across the Coast towards a common goal,” says Mike Trousselot.

“It fits well with The Development Trust’s strategic plan and the fact that it’s got potential to become self-funding in the near future really added to our interest in the project.”

#ENDS

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