Workforce plan to fill regional skills shortage

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Children are leaving school here as young as 11 years old and that is causing issues for the region's workforce, new research shows.

The findings form part of a new regional Workforce Plan, aimed at improving the region's skills shortage.

“Some rangatahi are leaving school as early as 11, often due to complications at home, such as overcrowding, financial pressures, and having to take on caring responsibilities within the home,” the newly-published plan states.

“Businesses have also commented that they understand the need to provide more pastoral care for rangatahi, but don't have the time or the resources to do this in-house.

“Tairāwhiti rangatahi need Tairāwhiti training; this means young people acquire skills about work, life and themselves.”

The research driving the plan had its beginnings in August 2021, at the Commitment, Action and Reciprocity resulting in Employment (CARE)forum.

The forum, a Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment initiative, was designated as the Regional Skills Leadership Group (RSLG) for Tairawhiti.

Now the CARE-RSLG has come up with an eight-point action plan.

“It is CARE-RSLG's responsibility, on behalf of our communities, to advocate for the skills, training, and qualifications the region needs from appropriate funding agencies,” Tairāwhiti CARE RSLG co-chair Alex Hawea said.

The plan will focus on working with local tertiary providers to map the current training provision for the East Coast to better understand the geographical coverage of training opportunities, with a specific focus on the key priority sectors of vertical construction, digital-technology, and manufacturing.

■ Working with local STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) businesses in Tairāwhiti to establish a scholarship to support local rangatahi to undertake STEM tertiary study and return to the region to work in the industry.

■ Engaging local schools, training providers and industry to create a student-centred trades career pathway model within the construction sector that includes a focus on architecture, engineering, and other construction-related occupations.

■ Increasing in-region training provision in advanced manufacturing by working with local tertiary education providers and advanced manufacturing businesses to develop (or tailor) an advanced manufacturing qualification.

■ Working with training providers and industry to scope in-work training provision in numeracy and literacy.

■ Working with industry and key stakeholders to determine the future tech needs across key priority sectors to enable businesses and workers to respond to a rapidly changing world of work.

■ Working with key stakeholders to develop a portal for capturing local workforce data.

■ Working with local employers and other stakeholders to build more effective and sustainable pastoral care approaches.

“Tairāwhiti has some huge workforce challenges and opportunities. This is our next step towards growing a skilled workforce that is directly relevant to local industry and employment opportunities,” CARE co-chair Gavin Murphy said.

“The goal is to build the Tairāwhiti workforce by supporting improved education and training opportunities, and identifying and filling quality, well-paid and high value employment options now and into the future.

“Improving connections between schools and tertiary education providers and local industry is a key action to ensure our people get the skills and knowledge they need to have rewarding careers here in Tairāwhiti,” Mr Murphy said.

Another 14 groups have been set up across other regions.

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