E tū backs Salvation Army over jobs for young people

19 October 2016

MEDIA RELEASE

E tū backs Salvation Army over jobs for young people

E tū is backing the Salvation Army and its call for action on jobs and training for young people.

The Salvation Army report, What Next details the problem of high unemployment among people aged between 15 and 24 years of age.

It notes of the 209,000 overseas working visas approved, 10,000 were for jobs in industries such as aged care, retail and labouring.

E tū’s National Director of Industries, Ged O’Connell says E tū covers hundreds of workplaces which could offer work and training to young people, giving them a start in life and ensuring the country has the skills it needs.

But he says employers find it easier to employ people on short-term visas, believing they don’t need to invest in them through training or career development.

“E tū supports skills training, and indeed any work experience with pay that’s on offer for young New Zealanders. We can’t afford to see a generation wasted because they can’t get jobs”, says Ged.

He says the government is in denial about the problem, and has instead left it to the market to sort out.

“The government wants the market to fix things but that won’t happen,” says Ged.

“It’s not a market – we’re talking about people. Employers need to be persuaded to take on young New Zealand workers and to train them.

“We should be building vocations, not prisons,” he says.

He says construction was a good example where skilled workers were needed, and would be for years to come.

“We’ve got this huge group of young New Zealanders who are dislocated. There needs to be a focus on getting them into worthwhile trades training, because there is clearly a need for it.”

ENDS

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