Linking students with local businesses focus of new Whanganui employment facilitator

Ron Armstrong has joined the Whanganui District Employment Training Trust as an employment facilitator for 100% Sweet Whanganui.

A new employment facilitator for 100% Sweet Whanganui has come into the role focused on linking school leavers with local businesses.

Ron Armstrong will work with schools to identify students looking to leave and find a business suiting their ambitions, or to introduce them to a business which already has a staffing need.

100% Sweet is one of four initiatives developed by the Whanganui District Employment Training Trust (WDETT) with the intention of matching the skills and needs of employers with the potential of local people.

The free service is supported by Whanganui & Partners and works to achieve the goal of having 100 per cent of school leavers in Whanganui engaged in education, employment and training.

“Ideally, the number of opportunities available would match the number of school leavers each year, so as leavers come out of school, I could put them where they want to be straight away,” Armstrong said.

“My work is making contact and meeting people so that I can link students firstly with what they want to do, or take them around to businesses to show them what’s available. There are heaps of employment opportunities,” he said.

Armstrong was born in Raetihi, before moving to Whanganui when he was nine.

He spent much of his career with NZ Railways, which is now known as KiwiRail, including 28 years as a regional sales executive. He also owned Springvale Four Square in the 1980s.

Seven years ago he joined Vision Manawatū, now known as Palmerston North’s Central Economic Development Agency (Ceda).

Part of this involved working with Ceda’s Talent Central, working with school leavers and the Work Ready portfolio and enabling them to be better prepared to transition into the workplace, which gave him the experience to join 100% Sweet.

From this experience, Armstrong said the biggest things he had to work on with school leavers were attitude and time management.

“School leavers today are different to those in previous generations, who were focused on pleasing the boss and doing what the boss said. Now, young people question things more. It’s not wrong to question, but they have to know how to do it in a respectful way,” he said.

He found satisfaction in helping kids get into employment, particularly those who are less fortunate and need extra support.

“They are an even bigger reward when you get them placed into work.”

WDETT chief executive Sally Ross said she was pleased to bring Ron’s experience to the team.