Editorial: Proud to join drive for jobs

The Northland Working, Northland PRIDE campaign has wrapped up and we're pretty happy with how it went.

The Northern Advocate was a key part of the campaign which started on February 4.

The driver was Work and Income, with PHONEplus the major sponsor and Mediaworks Radio also on board as a media partner.

People were encouraged to hire "One More Worker" through Job Ops, and the number of online visitors to Work and Income's Northland Business Page more than doubled from January to March.

The Job Ops with Training page views increased from 39 to 45 and the Business Training and Advice Grant page views increased from 28 to 82 compared to the same period in 2011.

The campaign did its job in raising awareness of Job Ops. But how did our job seekers get on?

We promoted 13 job seekers in the Advocate. They told you a little about themselves, and asked employers to contact them if they had work.

Of the 13, six have gone into work or training to date. Not all those opportunities came directly from calls to the job hunters, but the campaign still played a significant part.

The campaign also benefited from public support and garnered praise for the young people who showed an initiative and willingness to "put themselves out there" to find employment.

In a slow labour market, this type of campaign is a key driver in helping people find employment.

The Nelson Chamber of Commerce along with regional media have instigated a similar initiative advertising job seekers in the Nelson region. So the good news is spreading.

Finally, a word on the Northland PRIDE part of the campaign. Northland Community PRIDE week began in 2009. It was initially led by the Northland police to reduce crime and crashes in the region. It grew into an initiative about communities and individuals getting together to make Northland a great place to live and work.

The PRIDE acronym is Protect, Respect, Involve, Develop, and Educate. And we were very proud, to be involved with PRIDE.