Industry events designed to inspire students planned

Matariki Communication Update – Action 2.3

Work Area 2
Improve pathways to and through employment

Action 2.3
Build on existing and create new school-industry-tertiary partnerships to develop vocational pathways for all Hawke’s Bay students.

Lead Agency
Ministry of Education

December Update
Providing meaningful industry experiences is the driving force behind a series of events designed to engage and inspire students.

The Ministry of Education, in partnership with the Tertiary Education Commission (previously Careers NZ), is working with industry partners like Fonterra and Pipfruit NZ to develop a calendar of events for 2018 that will provide hands-on, interactive activities based at a range of different workplaces around the region.

Charelle Pere, the Ministry of Education’s Principal Advisor Secondary Tertiary, says industry events are key to facilitating relationships between schools and industry.

“The Behind the Farm Gate dairy industry ‘Big Day Out’ held earlier this year is a good example of an effective way of linking education to employment by raising awareness and providing students with an opportunity to experience first hand the wide range of career pathways within the industry. The event was highly interactive, with students learning about everything from environmentally sustainable farming to animal care, farming machinery and effective business management.”

Fonterra’s Tony Haslett says the ‘Big Day Out’ event was supported by local farmers who recognised an opportunity to encourage young people to consider a career in dairy.

“Only a small proportion of the 400 plus people employed on local dairy farms come from within the region. To help address this issue, the inaugural ‘Big Day Out’ was held in March on a Patoka farm. Year 10 students from all Hawke’s Bay high schools were encouraged to attend and discover the career opportunities within dairy. This was a highly successful event in all regards and our farmers and Fonterra factories have hosted schools and individuals subsequently as a result of ongoing enquiry from that day.”

The next Behind the Farm Gate dairy industry ‘Big Day Out’ will take place on Wednesday, 21 March 2018 and further events in other sectors are being planned for the future.
For example, the Ministry of Education is currently working with Pipfruit NZ and other key stakeholders such as Primary ITO, EIT and employers to develop an industry model to improve visibility of the many opportunities available in the pipfruit and horticulture industries.

Plans are also underway to develop a services industries event later next year. Employers and key industry groups will be part of a focus group that determines the name and nature of the event to ensure it is a practical and engaging experience for the participants.

Combined, these industry events support Work Area 2 of Matariki – Hawke’s Bay Regional Economic Development Strategy (HBREDS), which focuses on improving pathways to and through employment.

ENDS

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