Palmerston North’s Mayor is warning that when the baby boomers retire, there’ll be insufficient skilled people to take their place in the workforce.
Heather Tanguay, who is a member of the Mayors’ Task Force for Jobs, is concerned that there are not enough young people interested in the various apprenticeship options available to them as school leavers.
She says the skilled tradespeople, born shortly after the end of World War Two, will leave a huge and irreplaceable gap in the workforce when they start retiring in the next few months and years.
The Mayors’ Task Force for Jobs, established in 2000, comprises more than 90 percent of this country’s mayors and is working towards the “zero waste” of New Zealanders.
Its twofold vision offers a youth guarantee that all young people under 25 years “be in paid work, in training or education, or in useful activities in our communities” and a job guarantee that all adults who are long-term unemployed (registered for more than 12 months) “have the opportunity and be encouraged to be in paid work, in training or education, or in useful activities in our communities.”
The task force has allocated $30,000 towards Made It Manawatu, a unique job expo which will be held on Sunday, July 3, from 10-4pm.
Made It Manawatu is a hands on expo promoting the various apprenticeship options that are open to today’s school leavers and those who are looking for a career change.
The expo, in the Convention Centre, also includes an awards evening which celebrates successful apprentices.
“We’re not training sufficient young people in specialist skills and Made It Manawatu is a wonderful opportunity for young people to see the huge number of skills and job opportunities available,” Mayor Heather says.
“I would like to encourage as many employers and training organisations to participate in the expo to make it worthwhile.”
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