Six Whanganui school leavers complete Work Ready Passport

Showing off their Skills NZ Work Ready Passport certificates are (from left) Gina Guilford, Eden Henare, Britney Cox, Jodie Lee and Jessica McDonald. Absent: Mikal Terrey.

Six Whanganui school leavers are ready for their work journey and they've got the passport to prove it.

Now preparing for tertiary study and part-time work, former Whanganui City College students Gina Guilford and Eden Henare, ex-Whanganui Girls' College students Jessica McDonald, Britney Cox and Jodie Lee, and Mikal Terrey, formerly of Whanganui High School, recently completed their Skills NZ Work Ready Passports.

The Passport is part of 100% Sweet, a project which supports school leavers and young people up to the age of 25 to prepare for a job or further education. It shows employers that they have the skills, experience and attitude needed in the workplace by identifying their academic achievement, personal wellness, communication skills and more.

"These young women are ready to face the big, wide world," 100% Sweet manager Jason Shailer said.

"All these girls are incredible and the skills they've gathered are fantastic. They have nailed leadership and communication skills, all of which are highly valued to employers.

"I was interested to see how the young women developed – their attitude at the start was 'I've got nothing' when they started filling out the passport application, but as we worked on it, it was easier to see the skills they'd developed, from organising big events to working with disadvantaged children, while at the same time gathering NCEA credits.

"Learning how the Skills NZ Work Ready Passport works in a practical way will be beneficial to rolling it out in other schools."

Britney Cox, who will attend the Pacific International Hotel Management School in New Plymouth this year, found the experience valuable.

"It opens our eyes to skills and knowledge we have gathered. I didn't think I had much to put in the passport application, but when we pulled it to pieces I could see what I could do. This was a great pathway for my work after my tertiary training."

The Skills NZ Work Ready Passport was piloted at Whanganui City College, Whanganui High School and Whanganui Girls' College and is expected to be rolled out throughout New Zealand in 2018.