This year Get-Go developed a careers initiative which engaged college students, teachers, and local employers. The ‘Snapshot’ visits programme informs students about career options in the Horowhenua region.
College ‘Snapshot’ visits 2023 – Case Study
This year Get-Go developed a careers initiative which engaged college students, teachers, and local employers. The ‘Snapshot’ visits programme informs students about career options in the Horowhenua region.
The programme had several facets which includes
· employers speaking to college classes
· small groups of students visiting local workplaces
· a STEM teachers’ day out and finishing with Work Ready Interviews
The students found these sessions connected them with real experience and local employer stories told of their personal career journeys and what options are for them as rangatahi leave College.
The range of Snapshot career talks included:
Law & Accounting
Justine Street a partner at Colbert Cooper Accounting and Julia Turnbull from CS Law spoke to Year 12 Commerce students about their personal journeys and career life. Julia a former Horowhenua College student, told her inspiring journey from starting work at Countdown and how she went on to train to be a Practice Manager at CS Law. Students asked lots of questions and were inspired about accountancy and law professions as career options. One of funniest questions asked was, “Is a Law Firm environment like the TV programme ‘Suits’?”.
Justine gave great insights into why she relocated back from the city to a small town in the region she grew up in.
Julia and Justine connected with the students who were interested in and engaged in the session as it related to their commerce studies.
Manufacturing and Machine Assembly
Horowhenua College teacher David Brewerton took several groups of students to visit Snorkel Industries, who have been operating in the Horowhenua region for 40 years and actively promote apprenticeship schemes. Snorkel manufacture and sell elevated work platforms for the New Zealand and International markets.
Students found Jonno engaging and felt he was interested in them, as was noted by a student who commented to his teacher. “We can really see that this would be a good place to work as Jonno is interested in us, as at another site we visited the employer was just rushing through and not engaging at all, so we wouldn’t be so keen to work there”.
STEM Teachers Day Out
Five Science and Maths teachers from Horowhenua College and a representative from Muaūpoko Tribal Authority attended the afternoon. It started with a bus trip to visit Genoese and Hemp Connect, to hear about the careers in local food production industries and the research & new product development that is taking place, including the Callaghan student intern programme.
At Genoese Foods, Andrew Parkin began with a tour of the factory then followed by Q&A session with a tasting of four flavours of Pesto. Andrew spoke about how the business after Covid had adapted and now is back supplying retail chains and catering companies as well as exporting, with one of the clients being Singapore Airlines.
At Hemp Connect, the owner Matt Johnson explained about the various parts of hemp is used production and talked about the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle had on the hemp crops in the Hawkes Bay that were about to be harvested. He discussed the latest products they are looking to launch and how they supply ‘Hemp Hearts’ to companies such as Vogel’s, Blue Frog and Fix & Fogg.
Surveyors, Engineering and Town Planning
Truebridge Associates are Licensed Cadastral Surveyors, Engineers & Resource Management Consultants. They spoke to Y12 Students at Waiopehu College about their own career journeys in the industry, and how you can work anywhere in the world with the range of qualifications in the industry.
Director, Roger Truebridge spoke about how he attained his Cadastral degree at Otago University and the requirements for an understanding in maths, physics and technology while in College. His qualification and working life experience now sees him employ 14 staff at a company that is involved in many of the major land developments in the region.
Garth Flores spoke about his Civil Engineering degree he attained in a University in South Africa that accommodated 30,000 students! He gave examples of how engineering exists in everyday life and the different types of Engineering degrees available to study in NZ. (Civil Engineering Degrees are studied at Canterbury and Auckland Universities).
Sue Edwards (a previous Waiopehu College student herself) has achieved two degrees, her second one being a Masters in Resource Management Planning. Her role at Truebridge is Senior RMA Planner. The Resource Management Act (RMA) is legislation, administered by Regional and Lcoal Councils, which focuses on the sustainable management of New Zealand's natural and physical resources. Sue studied and gained her degrees while raising a family and studying, and previously worked at the Horowhenua District Council as a planner.
They welcomed students to call in to their offices and take up an offer to spend a day with them out in the field.
Human Resources, Marketing, and Immigration (MBIE)
Year 10 Students at Waiopehu College heard from a range of professionals from Immigration, RJs Licorice HR manager and a Communications and Marketing Advisor.
Students asked plenty of questions including about the uniform for the MBIE workers and daily duties. Paula (Human Resources from Rjs) spoke about her study taking over a decade to complete and achieve her degree with family commitments. Vicki (Comms & Marketing) spoke about how the digital world had created new roles for content creators. Students dreams of being Instagram influences needed sound marketing and content strategies.
Work Ready Interview Session’s
The Get-Go Initiative aims to empower young talent and bridge the gap between education and work. Get-Go co-ordinates employers to conduct mock/practice job interviews at Waiopehu College. In the 5 minute ‘snapshot’ interview session the students were able to ask questions and gain feedback, and insights, all helping them prepare for the professional world.
This session was conducted by various industry employers. This is just one way of shaping a future where every student is equipped with the skills and confidence to succeed after their College years.
The Get-Go Initiatives empowers young talent and bridges the gap between education and industry
Employers engaging with college students to discuss career opportunities is a valuable and educational experience. These interactions provide students with insights into the professional world, offering guidance on potential career paths, industry trends, and the skills and qualifications needed to succeed.
These conversations also allow students to network, build connections with potential local future employers, and gain a better understanding of the real-world expectations in their chosen fields, ultimately enhancing their career readiness and prospects.
