A Kaipara group keen to keep the district's youth in the area is creating a database of all local employers as a way of helping connect youth with employment.
Kaipara Employment for Youth (KEY) recently organised a trades expo at Dargaville High School.
The concept was to inform school students
about job opportunities in the Dargaville area and saw a good number of "stall holders" discussing employment opportunities, from hairdressing to truck and fork lift driving. KEY member Andrew Wade said Kaipara has many employment opportunities including numerous roles in the agricultural, horiculture and forestry industries.
The organisation hopes to provide a link between school leavers and employers to achieve a community which retains its young people and boasts zero unemployment.
The group is supported by the Dargaville Rotary Club, which recently donated $1500 toward the initiative.
