Media release

13 April, 2016

Major milestone for Youth Employment in Auckland

Auckland‘s Youth Employment Pledge initiative has achieved its target of signing up 50 employers in the first year.

The initiative is designed to help Auckland’s 23,000 young jobseekers and 17 more companies will sign up at a ceremony tonight bringing the total number of pledge partners to 51.

The pledge signing event at The Warehouse Head Office Training Centre will be hosted by Mayor Len Brown and means an even bigger commitment to tackling Auckland’s youth employment issue head-on.

“This is a significant milestone for our Youth Employment Plan and means employers are getting more and more of Auckland’s young talent into work and career pathways,” says Len Brown.

“That is the key objective but it also means that at the same time young people are being employed we are easing the critical skill shortage in a number of sectors.”

The Youth Employer Pledge is delivered by Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic Development (ATEED) as part of the Auckland Council Youth Connections programme, and is generously supported by The Tindall Foundation.

Since January 2015 the Youth Connections programme has helped, directly or indirectly, more than 5000 young people become work ready and has unlocked more than 2000 job vacancies, filling nearly half of them.

“We really are making good progress and the momentum continues to build,” says Len Brown. “We have an impressive list of Auckland’s biggest and best companies committed to a range of targets and activities and our young people are undoubtedly benefitting.”

Another Auckland Council initiative in the push to ease the city’s youth employment issue is JobFest, a regular summit which links employers and potential employers. The first of two JobFests this year will be held next month, at The Cloud onWednesday 11 May. More than 70 employers will take part as will thousands of young people.

ENDS

Editor’s note

The 17 companies signing the Auckland Council Youth Employment Pledge tonight are New Zealand Post Group, Yellow, TeleTech NZ, Pride and Joy, Cater Plus Services NZ Limited, Villa Maria, Hays, Kelly Services, Manpower, Tonkin and Taylor, Butterfly Creek, Kelly Tarlton’s Sea Life Aquarium, New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME), Griffins, Bunnings Warehouse, Spotlight and SKY Television.

Tonight’s event is being hosted at The Warehouse Head Office Training Centre because the Tindall Foundation is the key sponsor of the council’s youth employment initiatives and The Warehouse was one of the first pledge partners. Auckland Council and ATEED are also pledge partners, with a graduate, cadet and intern programme.

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