Future infrastructure stars on their paths thanks to NPDC and MSD

From back, l-r: The first intake of cadets at NPDC are Jamie Murray, Krisstal Healey, Kyla Palmer, Clayton Kelly and Zane Davey, Dominique Dellow, Steven Baker, Teejay Waiariki, Alister Gondipon.

Sixteen jobseekers have earned a career head start through the Mana in Mahi cadet programme.

New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) has partnered with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to help the cadets move off income support into employment, and support them with ongoing, recognised industry training.

"It's part of our Talent Pipeline initiative to help Taranaki rebound from the knocks our local economy has taken as a result of Covid-19," says NPDC manager planning and infrastructure David Langford.

"We needed to fill several new roles across our infrastructure group, so we've made them available for people looking for a place in the workforce. We'll help them develop their careers, and our aim is to have them grow into our future technical experts or leaders."

Cadet Dominique Dellow is working on projects that include Zero Waste and shared pathways for walkers and cyclists.

The programme allows him to follow an industry training pathway and gives him incentives and extra support along the way.

"I hope to get a career out of this, or at least a path to work on," he says.

MSD regional commissioner, Gloria Campbell, says the programme helps locals gain financial independence and sets them on a career path while contributing to the life of their district.

"We're thrilled to partner with NPDC. They offer jobs throughout their organisation, and the mentoring element to the partnership helps ensure the roles are sustainable and long-term."

Another partner in the collaboration is the TSB Chamber of Commerce, whose Chamber Hub staff work with MSD to recruit potential employees.

So far nine cadets have started and seven more will join the programme in the coming months, taking on jobs in parks, projects, infrastructure, roads and planning.

Their work includes sports turf maintenance, predator trapping, project management, road condition inspections, planning for parks and reserves, mechanical maintenance of our water and wastewater pumps, and working with people to encourage recycling.