Youngsters work unpaid to get ahead

The Ruapehu Youth Project partnership between the district Council and the Social Development's Work and Income service is seeking businesses able to give local youngsters unpaid work experience as a way of seeing if they want to take advantage of the Job Ops with Training scheme.

Job Ops with Training provides employers with a $5000 subsidy to provide employment opportunities to people aged 16 to 24 with no work experience or low or no skills.

Ruapehu Youth Project (RYP) co-ordinator Steve Carson said if an employer has a suitable entry level position they shouldn't be put off because the young person has no work experience or low skill levels.

"The young people on the RYP scheme are provided with hands-on mentoring and other forms of support to help maximise the opportunity for them to be successful in any training or work place experience they are involved with," he said.

"It's a chance to give valuable work experience with training to young people who find themselves out of work and in the longer term increase the pool of suitably skilled young employees."

Council regulation administration manager, Kevin O'Shannessey, said council's experience with people on the RYP has been good.

"We were so impressed we have taken advantage of the Job Ops with Training scheme to give one person a six-month paid position as a library assistant," he said.

"There are plenty of bright, eager, young people ... in our community looking for any opportunity to get into work."

Tia Ormsby left school two years ago with NCEA Level 3 and decided to take a gap year which ended up being two.

Miss Ormsby joined the youth project, which led to the council giving her three weeks' unpaid work experience.

"At my age not knowing what you want to do and not having opportunities to try things in a work environment can be a real problem and sap your motivation," she said.

"The Ruapehu Youth Project has been fantastic where I have been supported and spent time working with Steve discussing my interests and what I wanted to do. I am now planning to do a Diploma in Library Studies as well as learning new level 3 and 4 computer skills."