The Ministry of Education has provided funding to our school to help connect students with employers to explore careers in trades and services. We have been inviting employers in and going out to visit workplaces.

On the 12 May a group of 10 students visited Tūranga (Central City Library) to hear about jobs such as a family history librarian, archivist, event coordinator, community outreach, cultural advisory teams, management roles and creative jobs teaching the public how to use the 3D printers, laser cutters, recording studio, etc. Many of the students were surprised to learn about such varied roles within the library and the ability for staff to start at the bottom as a library assistant and work their way up to management positions. Many of the students are considering careers working in libraries.

On the 11 May a group of 8 students visited QE2 Pharmacy to learn about work roles in pharmacies. Some of the students got to go out the back into the dispensary which they loved.

Trade Me visited our Year 10 Digitech class to explain the diverse roles available including computer engineering, customer support, fixing bugs and identifying and following up on illegal practises. This industry is wanting more women and applicants from diverse backgrounds so that our community is being represented in the IT world. Working in IT is about helping people solve problems. The industry requires applicants with different viewpoints, including those with a good eye for design.

Interested students also went on a MITO bus tour of automotive workplaces including Penske (trucks), Tandem Smash Repairs (paint and panel) and Avon City Ford (light vehicles and motorcycles). We learned about the well paid jobs where you can learn while you earn.  

On the 17 May Catherine from Shirley Vet shared with students about where careers in animal care can lead, including formulating animal food, selling animal care products, vet nursing, veterinarian, animal welfare inspections, etc. She explained that in her role as a vet she spends 90% of time with people and 10% with animals so you need to be a great communicator and team player. You also need to be able to handle animals being euthanised, difficult customers and the dirtier side such as dealing with bad smells, blood and vomit, etc. She loves her job and particularly enjoys problem solving, surgery and making animals feel better.

On the 19 May Lynska from Service IQ (the retail industry training organisation) and Shawna-Lee from The Warehouse answered student questions about applying for jobs, and shared with a large group how getting a part-time job in customer service can lead to management positions and give you great transferable skills for other careers such as the police, airlines and business.