Workforce development strategy to address labour needs

Workforce development strategy to address labour needs in Horowhenua

A Horowhenua Workforce Development Strategy is planned in efforts to address the lack of suitably-skilled staff available locally - a major constraint to continued business growth in the district.

This is one of the issues identified in the Horowhenua Economic Development Strategy 2014 – 2017.

Horowhenua Economic Development Board chairperson and Lewis Farms managing director Cameron Lewis says the board believes there is a significant opportunity to tackle this issue head-on.

"We can develop an integrated and partnership-driven approach to match local labour needs with local training, education, and support services - currently and in the future," he said.

"Horowhenua is well placed to make this happen too. We have discussed the opportunities with our colleagues in the local education, training and wider social services sectors, who have all expressed their support for the proposed initiative.

"It is now important that we the business community come together to throw our collective weight behind this opportunity to drive it forward."

An overview of the Workforce Development Strategy is to be presented at a meeting for local business leaders on Thursday 30 October.

The meeting will also provide outcomes of test-case examples already undertaken, as well as outlining the need to have up-to-date information directly from Horowhenua’s businesses and employers.

Mr Lewis says the board believes the initiative may be a first for New Zealand.

"We're at phase one, a real stock-take of industry requirements at the coalface, so we need businesses to get on board and help us understand the needs out there," he said.

"It is only then we will be able to determine the current situation and ongoing issues. We can then work towards identifying opportunities, desired outcomes and the pathways to achieve these."

ENDS

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