Apprenticeships On Show At The Careers Expos

May 8th 2014

Apprenticeships On Show At The Careers Expos

The Auckland Careers Expo opens today and will be highlighting trade careers and apprenticeships in a newly formed Trade Hub. The Trade Hub is expected to be a big drawcard following the government’s recent budget announcement supporting apprenticeships, and with a continuing media attention on the Christchurch rebuild and Auckland’s housing crisis.

Attracting tens of thousands of visitors, this year’s Careers Expos will take place in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton and will host a dynamic new Trade Hub. The popular annual expos also feature a wide range of exhibitors including universities, tertiary and training institutes, employers and government agencies.

The new Trade Hub brings together five Industry Training Organisations (ITOs), including the Build and Construction Industry ITO. These five ITOs represent nearly 100 different careers and work with thousands of employers from both large and small companies. The Hub will feature live demonstrations including butchery, engineering, beauty treatments and abseiling.

The Expos which are partnered with Careers NZ, MBIE and the Ministry of Education have been running for over 20 years and are an important opportunity to get teenagers and young adults thinking about life after school, considering job opportunities and planning a career.

Around three hundred schools arrange for their students to attend the events, many who will return with parents and guardians to the evening and weekend sessions. The Expos are open to the public and attract many more people, young and old, who may be considering career transitions or seeking advice about job opportunities.

The Auckland Careers Expo is at the ASB Show grounds until Saturday. The event is free, with sessions from 10am to 3pm every day, there is also a late session on tonight too from 5pm till 7pm. There will be informative seminars and live entertainment running during the course of the event alongside some 60 exhibitors.

The Careers Expos attract over 30,000 people every year across their four events. The events have been running for over 20 years and remain as popular as ever. The Expo management team work closely with government agencies, schools and their exhibitors to ensure the event provide up to date information and advice which engages young adults who form the majority of visitors.

The Expo team have just launched a smartphone app which they hope will become a virtual careers expo. The app creates an ongoing communications channel between exhibitors and those seeking careers advice and will be useful to users throughout the country including those beyond the catchment areas of the events.

ENDS

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