Employer Engagement Toolkit - Bringing young people and employers together DISCOVER - YEA

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Employer Engagement Toolkit - Bringing young people and employers together DISCOVER - YEA
Employer
Engagement
Toolkit
Bringing young people
and employers together

  DISCOVER   EXPLORE     CONNECT
Employer Engagement Toolkit - Bringing young people and employers together DISCOVER - YEA
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT

Contents
PART 1: Setting the scene                          3       STEP 3 – Connecting with Employers:
                                                           The game plan                                  21
   Connections are important for
                                                                1.   Decide on the engagement activity    21
   young people and their future                    3
                                                                2. Find and identify employers            22
   Start small                                      3
                                                                3. Plan ahead and know what you
   About the Toolkit                               4
                                                                   are asking for                         23
   Who can use the Toolkit to build connections?   4
                                                                4. Making contact                        26
PART 2: Why Building Connections                                5. Maintain the relationship              27
are important                                      5
                                                                6. Follow up                              27
   Employer engagement matters                      5
                                                                7.   Contingency Plans                    27
   Education to employment connections
   benefit everybody                                8      STEP 4 - Review and Reflection                28

   What does good look like?                        9           Evaluation and Review                    28
                                                                Reflecting and planning                   31
PART 3: Making it happen                           12
                                                                Sharing Success Stories                   32
   Journey Map for Employer Engagement             12
                                                        Examples of employer
   STEP 1 – Discover student and
                                                        engagement events                            33 – 40
   employer needs and opportunities                13
      Thinking about student needs                 13   Tools                                             41
      Employer size reflects their needs and
      opportunities                                14   Appendix                                         44

   STEP 2 – Exploring opportunities                15   References                                       46
      Explore different types of employer
      connections                                  15   Hyperlink endnotes                               47

      Get students, family and whānau and
      teaching colleagues involved                 19
      Explore what is already happening
      across your school and community             20

                                                                                                               2
Employer Engagement Toolkit - Bringing young people and employers together DISCOVER - YEA
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT

PART 1
Setting the scene

Connections
are important
for young people
and their future                                                                                                      Start small

Connections with the world of work are important           Employers, from all sizes and types of business, want      Employer engagement can start small, such as an
for young people help them ‘Discover, Explore and          to help young people with their career pathways.           employer visit to a classroom, a small employer-led
Connect’ to their future of learning and work. Employers   There are many reasons why employers want to get           pilot programme in a school, or hosting students in a
can provide rich opportunities for young people to gain    involved - they have attended or visited a school in the   workplace and build over time.
skills and make connections between their current and      area, they want to give something back to the community,
                                                                                                                      Massey High School in Auckland did exactly this. In
future study and potential work opportunities.             or they believe in supporting New Zealand to be a
                                                                                                                      2012 they started a building academy where students
                                                           successful global player. Employers are also interested
                                                                                                                      learned trades and work skills during school hours
                                                           in developing and identifying potential employees.
                                                                                                                      and on school grounds. Ten students joined
                                                           We know that many schools engage with employers as         the academy in its first year. Today they
       WHO IS AN EMPLOYER?                                 part of programmes like Gateway or Trades Academies.       have over 100 students involved and are                To see an
                                                           Many schools have also created their own programmes        working collaboratively with Kāinga Ora            infographic about
       In this Toolkit, an ‘employer’ is any               and engagement with local industries or employers.         to develop their work skills. The students          the Massey High
       person who is working in an industry                                                                           are also helping with the creation of               School Academy
                                                           This Toolkit has been designed for Careers Advisors
       or business, and wants to help young                                                                           social housing through their community.               go to p.10-11
                                                           and Teachers. But the information can be used by
       people prepare for the world of                     everyone, including Principals, Boards of Trustees, and
       work. An ‘employer’ can be in any                   anyone involved in educating young people. The Toolkit
       business, industry, workplace or in                 helps understand the importance of connecting young
       any type of role.                                   people with employers, and provides you with some
                                                           ideas on how to do this.

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Employer Engagement Toolkit - Bringing young people and employers together DISCOVER - YEA
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT                                                                                                                                                 PAGE 4

                                                              Who can use the Toolkit
 About this Toolkit                                           to build connections?

 This Toolkit provides information, resources, and
 examples to help educators build relationships and
                                                              Careers Advisors/                                             Principals and Boards of Trustees:
 partnerships with employers that prepare young               Pathways Co-ordinators:                                       Boards of Trustees, working with Principals, set
 people for the world of work.                                Employer engagement outcomes are improved when                the priorities and direction for the school. Trustees
                                                              delivered alongside effective career guidance. This Toolkit   can help set expectations that schools work with
 The Toolkit won’t cover every situation or opportunity -     provides ideas for employer engagement, that may help         their local community to develop local curriculum,
 your relationship with your local employers will be unique   young people learn about a wide variety of careers and        showcase local industries and careers and inspire
 to your community. Start small and see how things            pathways and compliment career guidance activities.           students to think about their own pathways.
 develop. Connect with local businesses or employers to                                                                     Principals and Boards are key in helping their schools
 discover what works for them, you, and your students.        Teachers:                                                     to incorporate the National Education and Learning
                                                                                                                            Priorities (NELP)1 into their plans and everyday
                                                              Employer engagement helps to contextualise
                                                                                                                            practice.
                                                              classroom learning. Young people may be more
    Supporting information: At the end of some
                                                              engaged in a subject when they understand how it is           The NELP sets out the Government’s priorities for
    of the sections in the Toolkit, you will find a
       READ MORE box that lists articles and reports
                                                              relevant outside the classroom and the roles it could         education that will ensure the success and wellbeing
                                                              lead to in the future. The Toolkit provides suggestions       of all learners.
    used to develop the Toolkit’s content. Click on the
                                                              to make this happen.
    link    to take you to the source material.                                                                             Priority 7 is focused on the world of work and
                                                                                                                            encourages schools to collaborate with industries and
                                                                                                                            employers to ensure learners/ākonga have the skills,
                                                                                                                            knowledge and pathways to succeed in work.

                 95%
                                                                                                                            The Toolkit includes examples of activities that build
                                                                                                                            this collaboration and can provide a platform to
                                                                                                                            initiate discussions about how this can happen in the
                                                                                                                            local community.

of employers agree that there
 is a role for them in guiding
 young people into pathways
    for their future careers.
      (2018 Employers Survey Report from the Employers                                                                                                                                4
                 and Manufacturers Survey)
Employer Engagement Toolkit - Bringing young people and employers together DISCOVER - YEA
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT

PART 2                                                                                                    “It was easy

Why building connections                                                                             for everyone to find
                                                                                                   out more about potential
                                                                                                career pathways - it was done

are important                                                                                 at school and it was done in a way
                                                                                            where I could easily get answers and
                                                                                           insight from talking to the presenters.
                                                                                           I also loved the wide variety of career
                                                                                             options available - it allowed me to
                                                                                              be more open about my pathway
                                                                                                 and consider that uni isn’t the
Employer                                                                                                 only option.”

engagement
                                                                                                          (Student)

matters

Young people and their parents want to understand
their pathway options beyond school. They want to
find out more about the diverse range of jobs available          “Being given the
before making decisions about further study or                 ability to learn about
                                                           not just one career pathway,
employment. When schools engage with employers,
                                                           but having the opportunity
                                                                                                                      EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
it creates opportunities for this to happen.
                                                           to learn about a number of                                 are the skills that employers
Young people can learn about the world of work by         different careers, has enabled                              most want a young person
meeting and talking with employers before they leave      me to see which career sparks                               to have.
school. This includes exploring careers that exist in         myinterest the most.”
different industries, what employers expect of them,                 (Student)                                        They include:
or how you start your own business.
                                                                                                                      »   Positive attitude
Many of the jobs young people will have in the future
                                                                                                                      »   Communication
have not been created yet. Connecting with employers
                                                                                                                      »   Team work
helps young people understand the experiences and
employability skills that are valued now and will be                                                                  »   Self management
valuable in a fast-changing world.                                                                                    »   Willingness to learn
                                                                                                                      »   Problem solving and decision making
                                                                                                                      »   Resilience
                                                                                                                      (CareersNZ)2

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Employer Engagement Toolkit - Bringing young people and employers together DISCOVER - YEA
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT                                                                                                                                                                    PAGE 6

We know that:                                                    There is a gap:                                                   Employers are willing
»   Young people’s employment expectations                       »   There is a gap between what employers expect                  and able to help
    and ambitions develop very early. The work                       from young people going into the world of work                bridge the gap:
    children are interested in at age seven is reflected             and what young people think it is going to be like.
                                                                                                                                   »    95% of employers
    in the subjects they choose at secondary school,
                                                                 »   This gap can be demotivating for young                             agree that there is
    and again in the jobs they pursue when entering
                                                                     people and frustrating for employers.                              a role for them in
    training, education or the workforce at 17.
                                                                 »   Young people need support to make informed                         guiding young people
»   Multiple positive connections                                    choices about their future pathways. This can only                 into pathways for their
    (a minimum of four) with employers is vital for                  happen when they are able to learn about what the                  future careers.
    opening young people’s eyes to the world of work.                world of work looks like.                                     »    91% indicated they
»   The process of applying for jobs and planning their          »   Young people and employers recognise they need                     would be willing to have
    futures is strengthened when young people better                 to bridge the gap but need information and                         staff visit schools.
    understand what employers are looking for.                       support for this to happen.                                   »    BUT only around 21% of
»   Engagement with employers helps young                        »   Parents and whānau have an important                               employers have developed
    people understand the world of work and                          role to play in supporting their young people                      links with secondary schools
    employability skills they might need for success.                think about the world of work.                                     so far.
                                                                 »   Schools can provide opportunities to make
                                                                                                                                   (All statistics are from the 2018 Employers Survey
                                                                     connections by working with employers, parents                Report from the Employers and Manufacturers
                                                                                                                                   Survey)
                                                                     and whānau.
                                                                                                                                                                                             “Getting the links
                                                                                                                                                                                            between school and
                                                                                                                                                                                         industry is something we
                                                                                                                                                                                           quite often struggle at.
                                                                                                                                                                                        The better we can do it, the
    READ MORE                                                                                                                                                                            better it’s going to be for
                                                                                                                                                                                         New Zealand as a whole.”
     Want to know more about the data that backs up the importance                                                                                                                      (Andrew Thawley, Head of Digital
                                                                                                                                                                                          Technology at Christchurch
     of connections with employers?                                                                                                                                                           Boys High School)

     Employers and Manufacturers’ Employers Survey Report,       Employment and Education Matters Survey (2018) -             Drawing the Future4 - Students from Years 3 – 8
                                                                 The Ministry of Education survey found that young people     were asked by the Tertiary Education Commission to draw
     20183 - details how employers want to engage with young
                                                                 strongly benefitted from engaging with employers, and that   the job they wanted when they grow up. Most students were
     people, and statistics on their connections with schools.   employers want to engage with young people.                  not aware of the wide variety of jobs available to them.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     6
Employer Engagement Toolkit - Bringing young people and employers together DISCOVER - YEA
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT                                                                                                                                                                        PAGE 7

  Bridging the gap

                                                                                           BRIDGING
                                         YOUNG PEOPLE                                      THE GAP                                            EMPLOYERS

                                                                                                                                                 See workplace
                                         Struggle with
                                                                                                                                                   processes as

                                                                                              EMPLOYERS
                                                                                              SCHOOLS &
                                         work processes
DEMOTIVATED                                                                                                                                           the norm                                   FRUSTRATED

                                         May not understand what                                                                              May think young
                                         employers are looking for                                                                       people present poorly

                                                                                                                                         Want to see motivation
                                         Do not understand
                                                                                                                                  before discussing progression
                                         progression opportunities
                                                                                                                                              and development

     READ MORE

     If you would like to read more about the benefits of employer
     engagement, you may be interested in these reports:

     The Attitude Gap Report5 was sponsored by the Ministry of       Transition to Tertiary Life Event (2018)6                              Employer engagement in Education. EEF7
     Business, Innovation and Employment and the Ministry of         (Tertiary Education Commission)                                        (Education and Employers Research)
     Social Development.
                                                                     Focusing on what entering tertiary study is like for young             International evidence provides insights and research on the
     This report discusses the impact employers can have on young    people and the things they are considering in doing this.              effectiveness of employer engagement, and research how to
     people, with a focus on Māori and Pacific young people.                                                                                develop effective employer engagement.

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Employer Engagement Toolkit - Bringing young people and employers together DISCOVER - YEA
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT                                                                                                                                                    PAGE 8

                                                                                                                           “Love the
                                                                                                                       fact that all these
                                                                                                                    opportunities are on our
Education to employment                                                                                             doorstep and that people
                                                                                                                      are keen to employ
connections benefit everybody                                                                                           young people.”
                                                                                                                               (Teacher)
Benefits of connecting with employers

For all young people                          For employers                             For schools, Careers                                        For parents and
Gain knowledge and experience in:               Social responsibility – they can give   Advisors and Teachers                                       whānau
   what work environments are actually like     back to their community or the
                                                                                          Become more aware about post-school                           Learn how to help their young
                                                school they attended
   the wide range of jobs available in a                                                  employment, education and training                            person prepare for the world
   workplace or industry                        Address future workforce and              opportunities                                                 of work
                                                talent needs
   recruitment and interview processes                                                    Help their students to be more informed
                                                Showcase their business and                                                                             Create positive perceptions
                                                                                          about careers in their area of interest
   employability skills expected by             industry                                                                                                about roles and industries they
   employers                                                                              Help their students to make informed choices                  may be unfamiliar with
                                                Encourage workforce diversity
   their classroom learning connected to                                                  about their future study options
                                                Support employee development                                                                            Opportunities to learn about
   real world environments                                                                Gain access to resources, knowledge, skills
                                                and engagement                                                                                          new and different career
   understanding tangible career pathways                                                 and experience
                                                                                                                                                        pathways
                                                Meet young people and potential
                                                future employees                          Able to connect students to employers, and
                                                                                                                                                        Understand expectations for
And young people are:                                                                     potential future places of work
                                                Reduce recruitment costs                                                                                future workers
   more informed about career pathway                                                     Develop locally integrated, contextualised
   choices and jobs that exist in their                                                   and relevant curriculum                                       Build relationships between
   community                                                                                                                                            parents/whānau/school/
                                                                                          Create partnerships with employers                            community partnerships by
   supported and motivated to gain new,
   practical and work-related knowledge                                                   Give young people the opportunity for                         actively engaging whānau in
   and skills                                                                             practical experience in work environments                     building these opportunities
   supported to gain skills that
   employers value
   given opportunities to develop
   entrepreneurial skills                                                                                   THEY ALSO:
   able to meet and talk directly with                                                                          have a realistic understanding about what they need to
   employers                                                                                                    know to reach their career ambitions
                                                Learners who are involved in
                                                                                                                see value in their schooling
   supported to ask direct questions            MULTIPLE school-mediated
                                                employer engagement                                             speak to their teachers about their education plans
   build their confidence about work
   environments                                 opportunities and activities                                    believe their family networks will help them find work
                                                                                                                after leaving education
   and most of all understand what jobs are     can expect BETTER ADULT
                                                                                                                combine part time work with full-time education
   like before they commit to a study area      OUTCOMES THAN THEIR PEERS.
                                                                                                            (Attitude Gap Challenge Report, The Co-Design Lab)
                                                                                                                                                                                          8
Employer Engagement Toolkit - Bringing young people and employers together DISCOVER - YEA
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT                                                                                                                                                                   PAGE 9

What does a good relationship look like?

Research tells us what good employer engagement looks like and what the important elements are.

   BEST PRACTICE
                                  Start early                      Connect often                Make it relevant                 Make it personal                   Mix it up
   ELEMENT

   WHAT THE                       Children develop                 The more often young         Different employer               While some young                   Considering all of the
   RESEARCH                       career aspirations               people engage with           engagement activities            people benefit more from           above, young people
   SAYS                           at an early age and              employers, the more          have different roles,            sustained engagement               benefit from having a
                                  their socioeconomic              likely it is that they’ll    depending where young            (e.g. mentoring), others           variety of engagements
                                  background and                   be successful in their       people are on their              benefit more from                  with employers
                                  gender influence their           transition to further        educational journey              targeted intervention (e.g.
                                  aspirations                      education and work                                            CV or interview training)

     HOW CAN                      CONNECT STUDENTS                 REGULARLY                    HELP STUDENTS                    Create engagement                  CONNECT WITH
     I DO IT?                     WITH EMPLOYERS                   CONNECT                      EXPLORE THE                      opportunities that                 EMPLOYERS
                                  FROM A YOUNG AGE,                young people                 WORLD OF WORK IN                 MATCH THE                          IN DIFFERENT
                                  understand more of               with a wide variety          DIFFERENT WAYS,                  NEEDS OF                           WAYS
                                  the opportunities                of employers                 inside and outside the           THE STUDENT                        (see page 26)
                                  available to them                                             classroom, across their
                                                                                                educational career, not
                                                                                                just in their final years of
                                                                                                secondary school

    READ MORE
*Adapted from: DYW Glasgow, 2018, The impact of employers’ engagement with schools.
    You can read more about benefits of Education to Employment opportunities:

    Open Letter to NZ8 – NZ Talent - an open          British Council Employer Engagement         Developing the Young Workforce                    Towards an Employer Engagement
    letter to New Zealand from a group of over        Toolkit9 – details how to establish         (DYW)10 – contains more information               Toolkit11 – details British Teachers’
    200 businesses, affirming New Zealand             relationships with employers, maintain      on how to engage young people and                 views on the effectiveness of employer
    businesses’ willingness to engage with            them, and integrate employer engagement     employers while at school.                        engagement activities, and how they
    young people, and their desire for them to        into your school’s curriculum.                                                                have impacted their students’ learning.
    be ‘work ready’ out of education.
                                                                                                                                                                                                       9
Employer Engagement Toolkit - Bringing young people and employers together DISCOVER - YEA
Educationally Powerful Connections creating work ready students
Massey High School Academy Case Study

OVERVIEW
Innovation in education often requires moving on from traditional approaches. Massey High School’s
solution to supporting learners on meaningful vocational pathways, showcases how partnerships between
education and employers, business and industry can produce educationally powerful connections that
benefit learners and entire communities.

                                                                                                                                             The programme grows again with
                                                                                                                                             45 full time, 71 part time students,                   Partnership between
                                                                                         Students from Ko Taku Reo - Deaf Education          7 students from Ko Taku Reo – Deaf
THE STORY:                                                                               New Zealand and students from Bay of                Education New Zealand and students
                                                                                                                                                                                           these organisations and connections
                                      Kāinga Ora and Massey High School                  Islands College participate in the Massey           from Bay of Islands College participating          with industry, trades training,
Massey High School creates an         established a partnership that enabled             High School Academy developing skills               in the Massey High School Academy.              learners and their whānau have had
academy where learning trade          school students building houses for New            that increase the possibility of sustainable
                                      Zealand families in a full time programme at       employment in their communities.                                                                    positive impacts for the students,
and work skills can take place
during school hours and on school     school and developing their work ready skills.                                                         2021                                              their communities and familes
grounds. Ten students joined the                                                                                                                                                                    across New Zealand.
academy in its first year.                                                               2020
                                      2019
                                                                                         Massey High School and Kāinga Ora
2012                                                                                     partnership has built 8 new houses for
                                      Kāinga Ora Apprenticeship Programme
                                                                                         New Zealand families that have been placed
                                      established. A partnership between
                                                                                         in locations such as Gisborne. Students
                                      Miles Construction and Kāinga Ora that             completing the programme have a 99%
                                      established an apprenticeship pathway
                                                                                         chance of employment in the building and
                                      for the students and help keen Kiwis learn
                                                                                         construction industry.
                                      trades on state house building sites.
                                                                                                                                                                                         SUCCESSES

                                                                                                                                                                                         Since partnering with Kāinga Ora in 2019 the
                                                                                                                                                                                         school has delivered eight new state homes
                                                                                                                                                                                         which have been sent to sites and families as
                                                                                                                                                                                         far away as Gisborne.

                                                                                                                                                                                         In 2019, all full-time students, who completed
HOW IT WORKS:                                                                                                                                                                            the course passed NCEA L2 or L3, L2 with
                                                                                                                                                                                         endorsement and achieved the relevant
• Massey High School Building Academy partners            • Students develop skills and experience in building            • The homes are built on the school site in a                  BCATs qualification.
  with the Kāinga Ora to build state houses.                and carpentry, work under the supervision of                    controlled, supportive environment where the
                                                            registered builders and teachers, while producing               students are tutored by qualified builders.                  Over 90% student retention.

• Students have a pathway to the Kāinga Ora                  new homes.
                                                                                                                                                                                         In 2020 all exiting students are leaving to
  Apprenticeship Programme as well as other                                                                               • Over 120 students are enrolled for the programme             employment.
  employment opportunities.                               • The academy is like a ‘job’ for the students,                   in 2021 including students from other schools in
                                                            running from 9am to 3pm Monday to Friday.                       Tai Tokerau.                                                 Deaf students from Ko Taku Reo – Deaf
                                                                                                                                                                                         Education New Zealand are fully engaged in
                                                                                                                                                                                         the Academy.
Educationally Powerful Connections creating work ready students
Massey High School Academy Case Study

“Helping build this home
has been an extremely
positive experience for
me. It’s great being able to
learn new skills while doing
something good for the
community.”
— McKoy, 17years old
                                                                                                                                                                         VISIONING
                                                                                                                                                                         THE FUTURE
                                                                                                                                                                         ›     Transfer the model to other industries

                                                                Learners, whānau,                                                                                              (e.g. cafes, automotive industry, ECE)

“The academy has                                                   community                                                                                             ›     Transfer knowledge to other schools

                                                    ho                                                                                                                   ›     Involve other schools in the Academy
                                               Sc
really helped me grow
in confidence. I hope to                   du          o   l                                                                                                             ›     Develop educational hubs
                                        In

gain an apprenticeship in                       st                                                                                                                       ›     Commercial building contracts
                                                   ry
                                  Kā

building and construction,              ng                                                                                                                               ›     Establish a L3 Building Academy
                                    i

                                           a
                                Tr

and eventually start my own       de          Or                                                                                                                               curriculum in association with BCITO
                                  a

company.”                              s         a
                                         tra
— Ethan, 17 years old                        ini
                                                ng
                                                                                                                                           BUILDING COMMUNITY

“They can now see                                                                                                                          ›   Building real homes for the community

themselves owning their                                                                                                                    ›   Building community facilities

own building companies                                                                                                                     ›   Maintaining school facilities

- building homes for
themselves, other families
and the community. It really
gives them hope. I’ve been                 GROWING CONFIDENT                                    DIVERSE, ENGAGED AND
in the education sector or                 (WORK READY) YOUNG PEOPLE                            SKILLED WORKFORCE
30 years and this is the best
                                           ›   Increased engagement of young people in school   ›   Bigger, more capable workforce
thing I’ve been involved in.”
                                           ›   Meaningful and contextualised knowledge          ›   Young people confident about pathways and opportunities
— Glen Denham, Massey High
                                               for learners                                     ›   Supporting a diverse range of learners with future
School principal
                                           ›   Support for learning in a familiar environment
                                                                                                    employment opportunities
                                                                                                ›   Ongoing development of skilled workers (real-time skills
                                           ›   Strengthened relationships with other schools
                                                                                                    matching with industry changes)
                                               and students
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT

PART 3
Making it                                                                        EXPLORE different

happen                                                  DISCOVER
                                                  employers’ needs
                                                                                 types of engagement
                                                                                 activities
                                                                                                       EXPLORE
                                                  and opportunities                                    connections that
                                                                                  3                    might already be
                                                                    2                           4      happening
Understanding your                      DISCOVER your
students’ needs is
essential in planning
                                        students’ needs
                                                                    VER                                            EXPLORE
how employers can be                                    1          O                                       5       gaps and

                                                                                                EX
                                                               C
involved. This section                                                                                             opportunities

                                                            DIS

                                                                                                  PL
of the toolkit focuses

                                                                                                    ORE
some of the ideas,
information and tools                                               Journey Map                                       EXPLORE who
                                                                    for Employer
                                 Planning the
to help you do this.
                                     next one
                                                  12                                                           6      can support
If you ask them, an employer
                                                                                                                      the connection
will let you know how they                                          Engagement                                        activity
want to be involved.
                                 Evaluation and    11
                                      feedback
                                                                                                                   EXPLORE which
                                                                O                                          7

                                                             C
                                                                    NN                                             employer(s)
                                                                                                                   you could
                                                                         EC T                                      work with
                                                                                               8
                               CONNECTION                               10
                                EVENT OR                                              9
                                                                                                Make a
                                ACTIVITY                     Develop and
                                                                                                contact plan
                               between students              maintain the       Contact the
                                and employer(s)              relationship       employer(s)

                                                                                                                                       12
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT

Step 1: DISCOVER
Discover student                                        DISCOVER                                        EXPLORE                                        CONNECT
and employer needs                                      Work Exposure                                   Work Exploration                               Work Experience

and opportunities                                Activities that present ideas,                 Activities in which young people               Activities that offer young people close
                                                 information, and concepts about                actively explore and investigate the           and more sustained opportunities for
                                                 the world of work and career                   world of work.                                 observation and participation in one or
                                                 development.                                                                                  more workplaces.
Employer engagement activities should
be shaped by student needs and the               Largely aimed at young people                  Largely aimed at young people                  Largely aimed at young people
resources (including employers) available.       aged 10 – 14.                                  aged 13 – 16.                                  aged 16 – 18.

                                                 Typical activities include:                    Typical activities include:                    Typical activities include:
Thinking about student
needs                                                Discussions of parental                        Career talks from people in work               Community and workplace-
                                                     occupations                                    about the jobs they do and how                 based work placements
When thinking about the types of                                                                    to access them
                                                     Career talks from people in work                                                              Undertaking supervised work for
connections you might be looking for
                                                     about the jobs they do and the                 Student research into specific                 one week
your young people, the adapted WE3
                                                     value they find in them                        occupations, access to them and
Continuum below may be a useful                                                                                                                    Work shadowing focused
                                                                                                    their likely future characteristics
framework to use as a starting point.                Discussions of the gendered                                                                   around specific research
                                                     character of work                              Development of CV writing and                  questions
The WE3 approach to career readiness
                                                                                                    interview skills with employee
was developed by educationalist Dave                 Workplace visits                                                                              Student enterprises supported
                                                                                                    volunteers
Turner for the Eastern Bay of Plenty                                                                                                               by employee volunteer coaches
                                                     Integration of workplace
Regional Economic Development Trust                                                                 Job shadowing
                                                     examples within related                                                                       Employer forum organised
2020. ‘WE3’ refers to: Work Exposure,                curricula                                      Discussions (career                            by students to bring together
Work Exploration, Work Experience.                                                                  conversations) with people                     students and employers to
We have reframed the WE3 as:                                                                        in work about the future                       discuss expectations and
Discover, Explore, Connect.                                                                         development of occupations                     opportunities
The continuum sets out a process              Adapted from Work exposure, work exploration and work experience - continuum and activities13, by Dave Turner (2020)
designed to “introduce, entice and induct
young people into the world of work”.             READ MORE
It provides practical examples of the types
of activities you can provide for learners         Read more about Dave Turner’s work here:
in a structured process.

                                                   Work exposure, work exploration and work experience -                  Explore the OECD research on how schools can better
                                                                                                                          prepare young people for working life in the era of COVID-1912
                                                   continuum and activities13, Turner’s WE3 Continuum is a
                                                   sequence of vocational learning elements that aim to connect
                                                   young people to their future pathways.                                                                                                  13
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT                                                                                                                                                                  PAGE 14

Employer size
reflects their                                         Entrepreneurs                      Micro-business                      Small to Medium-                  Large

                                  BUSINESS
                                  SIZE OF
                                                       or Individuals/                                                        sized Enterprise                  organisations
needs and                                              partnerships
                                                                                          1 – 9 employees
                                                                                                                              10 – 249 employees                250 employees
opportunities                                          1 – 2 people
                                                                                          (including parents, whānau,
                                                                                          self-employed)                                                        and above

                                                       »   Personal stories               »   Likely to engage if invited     »   Likely to engage if invited   »   May include the public
                                  AND CONSIDERATIONS
                                  OPPORTUNITIES
The size of an employer can
shape how they might like to be                                                                                                                                     sector
                                                       »   Passionate about a             »   Wide range of experiences       »   May need help to see the
approached and the amount of                               specific area                                                          value of their engagement     »   May have infrastructure and
                                                                                          »   Personal stories
involvement they can offer.                                                                                                                                         capacity to engage
                                                       »   Often have limited time                                            »   May be interested in co-
                                                                                          »   Entrepreneurial insight
                                                                                                                                  design approaches (hands      »   Provide well-designed
                                                       »   Have business problem that
                                                                                          »   Need to be invited to               on and local curriculum           experiences
                                                           groups of students could
                                                                                              participate                         development)
                                                           work on                                                                                              »   Resourced to participate
                                                                                          »   Sometimes they have             »   Likely to have job                in activities like site
                                                       »   May be interested in helping
                                                                                              limited time                        opportunities if their            visits, careers expos and
                                                           local community
                                                                                          »   A business problem that             business is growing               curriculum development
                                                       »   May have limited time and
                                                                                              individual students or groups   »   Maybe open to work            »   May have higher turnover
                                                           resources to engage
                                                                                              of students could work on           experience or holiday jobs        and may require new talent
                                                                                          »   Gateway experiences                 for students
                                                                                                                                                                »   May be open to experience
                                                                                          »   Trades Academy placements       »   Gateway experiences               or holiday jobs for students

                                                                                          »   Work experience or              »   Trades Academy placements     »   Gateway experiences
                                                                                              holiday jobs                                                      »   Trades Academy placements
                                      EXAMPLE

                                                       An individual person/              A business that often operates      Small to Medium-sized             A large organisation is an
                                                       partnership / entrepreneur         with a small team in your           Enterprises are often             established business with a high
                                                       who often operates on their        community                           businesses who may operate        number of staff that is likely
                                                       own and may have set up their                                          locally or regionally             to operate locally, regionally,
                                                       own business                                                                                             nationally and sometimes globally

                                   INITIAL             The individual person /            The Owner / Chief Executive,        The Chief Executive, General      The Chief Executive, HR
                                  POINT OF             entrepreneur who operates          Business Manager or HR              Manager or HR Manager             Manager, General Manager
                                  CONTACT              the business                       Manager                                                               Operations

                                                                                                                                                                                                       14
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT

Step 2: EXPLORE
Explore different types of                                                        Having conversations with employers about different ideas and types of engagement
                                                                                  creates opportunities for collaboration and creativity. The table below outlines some
employer connections                                                              of the different types of employer engagement that schools are doing.

  ACTIVITY                 WHAT HAPPENS AND                                         LINK TO                     WHY WOULD
                           WHO IS INVOLVED?                                         CURRICULUM                  I CHOOSE THIS?
                                                                                    COMPETENCIES

  School visits/           Employers, former students and/or staff visit            »   Thinking                DISCOVER / EXPLORE
  speakers                 the school/kura and share their education and            »   Relating to others      »   A good place to start
                           employment journey to their present role(s)              »   Participating and       »   Low commitment required
                                                                                        contributing
                                                                                                                »   Hearing someone’s journey can be inspiring and motivating for
                                                                                                                    many students
                                                                                                                »   May be someone the students know or alumni – so they are relatable
                                                                                                                »   Opening conversations about pathways

  Site visits              Students visit a workplace to experience first-hand      »   Thinking                DISCOVER / EXPLORE / CONNECT
                           the jobs and activities of a specific industry and       »   Using language,         »   First-hand experience
                           workplace                                                    symbols and texts
                                                                                                                »   An opportunity to learn outside of the classroom
                                                                                    »   Managing self
                                                                                                                »   Students see different roles / jobs and understand the academic
                                                                                    »   Relating to others          requirements and skills they need
                                                                                    »   Participating and       »   Students discover careers and opportunities they may not have
                                                                                        contributing                considered

  Online events            Are a great way for students and employers to            »   Thinking                DISCOVER / EXPLORE / CONNECT
                           connect, in a unique format, regardless of distance.     »   Using language,         »   Is low cost and time commitment for the
                           Using platforms like Zoom or Teams, employers                symbols and texts           employer and the school
                           can showcase their workplace to students, talk           »   Managing self           »   Opportunities to connect across distance and time – helps to
                           about their jobs, their journey or answer students’      »   Relating to others          showcase any pathway that exists anywhere in the world
                           questions. The experience can also happen at little      »   Participating and       »   If it is recorded it can be watched later by the class, other classes,
                           to no cost to either the school/kura or the employer         contributing                parents and whānau
                                                                                                                »   Good for stimulating discussion on a classroom or curriculum activity

Continued overleaf . . .                                                                                                                                                                     15
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT                                                                                                                                                                PAGE 16

  ACTIVITY                 WHAT HAPPENS AND                                              LINK TO                       WHY WOULD
                           WHO IS INVOLVED?                                              CURRICULUM                    I CHOOSE THIS?
                                                                                         COMPETENCIES

  Creative                 There are lots of fun ways to bring employers into            »    Thinking                 EXPLORE / CONNECT
  events                   a school/kura environment. A creative event could             »    Managing self            »   Encourages creativity
                           be on or off-site – the only limit is your imagination.       »    Relating to others       »   Memorable – because of the way the event is structured
                           It just needs to connect students and employers               »    Participating and
                           together in a unique way.                                          contributing

  Creative                      Western Heights High School developed a Technology                            Flaxmere College held a ‘Flaxopoly’ event where students were able to
  events                        course that featured a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style activity, where students          navigate their school hall, talking to employers, in the style of a Monopoly game.
  EXAMPLES                      showcased their robotics projects to a panel of engineering                   The more employers they talked to, the higher chance they had of winning prizes.
                                employers. The students got feedback from employers about their
                                                                                                              The ‘game-ified’ concept encouraged students to talk to more people and made
                                projects, and gained insights into the skills employers are looking
                                                                                                              the event a lot of fun for the employers involved too. Pop-out bubble?
                                for in the workforce.

  Education                Secondary school, government funded programmes,               »    Thinking                 DISCOVER / EXPLORE / CONNECT
  programmes               some that give senior students access to structured           »    Using language,          »   Ongoing
                           workplace learning. Credits towards NCEA can be                    symbols and texts
                                                                                                                       »   Integrated into the curriculum
                           gained in some programmes. See:                               »    Managing self
                                                                                                                       »   Regular contact with employers
                           »   Trades Academy                                            »    Relating to others
                                                                                                                       »   Establish long term relationships/connections
                           »   Services Academy                                          »    Participating and
                                                                                                                       »   Credits towards national assessment
                                                                                              contributing
                           »   Gateway
                           »   Youth Guarantee Courses

  Enterprise               Dragon’s Den style competitions where students                »    Thinking                 Connect
  competitions             create innovative solutions, or come up with a                »    Using language,          »   Embracing competition
  or                       product – then pitch that product/solution to a panel              symbols and texts
                                                                                                                       »   Opportunities to demonstrate entrepreneurship
  hackathons               of employers. This can be a great way to facilitate           »    Managing self
                                                                                                                       »   Chance to collaborate with others
                           employer engagement in a way that enables both                »    Relating to others
                           students and employers to learn from one another.                                           »   Employer mentors provide connections and rich understanding
                                                                                         »    Participating and
                                                                                              contributing

Continued overleaf . . .

                                                                                                                                                                                                     16
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT                                                                                                                                                             PAGE 17

  ACTIVITY                 WHAT HAPPENS AND                                              LINK TO                     WHY WOULD
                           WHO IS INVOLVED?                                              CURRICULUM                  I CHOOSE THIS?
                                                                                         COMPETENCIES

  Work                     An arrangement between a school/kura and an                   »   Thinking                EXPLORE / CONNECT
  placement                employer, where a student spends some time                    »   Using language,         »    Individual connections to employer
  / Work                   working in an employer’s business to learn about                  symbols and texts
                                                                                                                     »    Learn about industry and the jobs
  experience               their industry, and gain skills.                              »   Managing self
                                                                                                                     »    Can be regular engagement for a student and become a job for holidays
                                                                                         »   Relating to others
                                                                                                                     »    Can influence long term career aspirations
                                                                                         »   Participating and
                                                                                                                     »    Credits towards national assessment, i.e. Gateway
                                                                                             contributing

  Curriculum               Curriculum-based, contextualised learning supports            »   Thinking                DISCOVER / EXPLORE / CONNECT
  integrated               students to develop new skills with real-life benefits.       »   Using language,         »    Partnerships
  employer                                                                                   symbols and texts
                                                                                                                     »    Ongoing
  engagement                                                                             »   Managing self
                                                                                                                     »    Brings the world of work into the classroom
                                                                                         »   Relating to others
                                                                                                                     »    More engaged and interesting for the students
                                                                                         »   Participating and
                                                                                                                     »    Employers can be delighted by the perspectives that students can
                                                                                             contributing
                                                                                                                          bring to their business
                                                                                                                     »    Credits towards national assessment

  Curriculum                 P-Tech Global Technology                                The programme is focused on senior                    “We’ve started looking to get more
  integrated                 Programme piloted in South                              students, and includes:                               Māori and Pasifika students into
  employer                   Auckland Schools                                                                                              technical roles because the roles
                                                                                     »   Workplace experience
  engagement                 Aorere College and Manuwera High School are                                                                   that are coming up in terms of future
  EXAMPLE                                                                            »   Intern placements at partner organisations
                             creating industry-ready technology graduates by                                                               employment, they are going to be
                                                                                         IBM and The Warehouse Group
                             incorporating the Global Pathways in Technology                                                               more technical, particularly from an IT
                             programme into their curricula. The programme           »   Support mapping next steps for students           perspective.” he says. “The more we can
                             aims to bridge the gap between the skills students          when they leave school                            do to help our kids get on that pathway,
                             are learning and the skills needed in a workforce                                                             the better.”
                             that relies increasingly on digital technology.                                                               – Aorere College Principal Gregory Pierce

Continued overleaf . . .

                                                                                                                                                                                                  17
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT                                                                                                                                                                       PAGE 18

  ACTIVITY                 WHAT HAPPENS AND                                               LINK TO                         WHY WOULD
                           WHO IS INVOLVED?                                               CURRICULUM                      I CHOOSE THIS?
                                                                                          COMPETENCIES

  Work                     Individual students visit the employer’s work                  »    Thinking                   EXPLORE / CONNECT
  shadowing                environment and ‘shadow’ a trusted staff member,               »    Using language,            »    Ongoing
                           to understand the skills used and possibly undertake                symbols and texts          »    Integrated into the curriculum
                           minor tasks. This activity may be a one-off or occur           »    Managing self              »    Regular contact with employers
                           over a longer period.                                          »    Relating to others         »    Easier to see the range of activities going on as the young person
                                                                                          »    Participating and               provides feedback
                                                                                               contributing               »    Establish long term relationships/connections

  Industry                 Students and whānau visit an employer’s workplace              »    Thinking                   EXPLORE / CONNECT
  Information              and discover opportunities, skills needed and                  »    Using language,            »    Learn about industry from the industry
  events for               pathways into the industry.                                         symbols and texts          »    Great way to see many industries and employers in one space
  whānau                                                                                  »    Managing self              »    Parents can be involved in discussions about future pathways and
                                                                                          »    Relating to others              understand who the student will be working with
                                                                                          »    Participating and
                                                                                               contributing

  Teacher and              Opportunities for teachers to learn about the                  Bring these                     DISCOVER / EXPLORE / CONNECT
  Employer                 skills employers are seeking, and career options in            experiences into                »    Teachers can take their learnings back
  days                     different industries including work shadowing                  their classroom                      to classroom
                                                                                          teaching, i.e. localised        »    Opportunity to build current knowledge
                                                                                          curriculum with
                                                                                                                          »    Opportunity to create / use real work problems as part of the
                                                                                          relevant problems                    curriculum
                                                                                          developed with an
                                                                                                                          »    Influence students’ perception and understanding of industry
                                                                                          employer or industry

   READ MORE

   Read more about curriculum integrated STEM career programmes in New Zealand

   The Wonder Project14 – merges seamlessly into the school          The IBM Pathways in Technology Programme (P-Tech)15                 The NZ Digital Skills Forum Report16. This report highlights
   curriculum and exposes primary and intermediate learners to       – enables students to earn both high school qualifications          the importance of STEM careers in New Zealand. It discusses
   tech and engineering while at school. Engineering New Zealand’s   and a two-year associate degree linked to STEM fields.              skill shortages in the Technology Sector, and the forecast
   in-school Programme focuses on developing interest in science,    Established in 2011, there are over 600 industry partners and       future demand for workers in the STEM space.
   technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers.                 240 school partners across 28 countries.
                                                                                                                                                                                                            18
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT                                                                                                                                        PAGE 19

Get students, family
and whānau and
teaching colleagues
involved

Including students, their parents and teachers in       Parents and whānau                                       Teaching colleagues and staff
the planning can help explore the needs of the
                                                        Parents and whānau have a huge influence on the          at school
community and provide potential access to a wider
network of employers.                                   decisions young people make about career pathways.       Careers Advisors and Gateway Coordinators are
                                                        But they often don’t know about the range of jobs and    often seen as the people responsible for fostering
                                                        industries in their local community. Involving whānau
Students                                                                                                         relationships with employers and industries. But you
                                                        helps make your event more relevant to the needs of      can involve others at school in building and maintaining
Students can attend and be involved in the planning     both your students and your local community.             relationships with employers.
of an employer engagement event. This can provide
                                                        Involving parents and whānau to participate in           All teachers can contextualise their classroom learning
students with unique interactions with employers
                                                        developing the ideas and organising the event, as well   through interactions with employers and will be able
and an opportunity to learn organisational and event
                                                        as inviting them to the event, encourages students       to link subject areas to different industries (e.g. graphic
management skills. Young people can be involved in
                                                        to participate, and creates opportunities for parents    design to English, or building to mathematics).
a wide variety of ways from organizing the event to
                                                        and whānau to develop their own awareness of the
activities like:                                                                                                 Having a range of teaching colleagues and staff from
                                                        different roles, industries, and pathways available to
»   Deciding the theme                                  their young people.                                      across areas of learning engaged with employers
                                                                                                                 means you can better connect up discrete areas of
»   Selecting the employers                             Examples of parents and whānau involvement include:      learning and contextualise them to the world of work.
»   Approaching and communicating with employers        »   a parent job hui: parents and whānau can talk        Ways to engage other colleagues and staff might be:
                                                            about their jobs and their journey to get there
»   Designing the event/timetable                                                                                »   linking their subject area to an industry or job
                                                        »   asking school alumni to talk about their journeys        (e.g. graphic design, business studies, building,
»   Designing the promotion of the activity
                                                            from education into employment and their                 technology)
»   Running the event                                       career journey
                                                                                                                 »   asking them to help with connections to industries
»   Recording and sharing the event (school magazine/   »   an event where whānau can learn about a range of         they might have from previous employment roles
    newsletter/social media)                                possible careers alongside their child
                                                                                                                 »   talk to them about their knowledge of the world of
                                                                                                                     work and how they include it in their teaching

                                                                                                                 »   creating a localised curriculum experience to
                                                                                                                     contextualise classroom learning or project learning

                                                                                                                                                                               19
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT                                                                                                                      PAGE 20

                                                                                                                        What’s on offer
                                                                                                                       at our school and
Explore what is already
happening across your                                       Stocktake Tool                                            where are the gaps?

school and community
                                                   Sector                    Businesses            Type of Activity    Size of     Year     Discover /
                                                                              engaged                 offered         business   group(s)   Explore /
If you, or others at your school, are already                                                                                                Connect
engaged in employer activities, you could think
about expanding to include different types of      Manufacturing
engagement or different industries or a wider
range of young people.                             Construction
If your school is larger, you may want to do a
                                                   Wholesale, retail
quick stocktake of what your current employer      and repairs
engagements, and where those activities sit on
the Discover, Explore, Connect continuum.          Transport and
                                                   Storage
The world of work is diverse and so are the
opportunities to engage a wide range of            Hospitality and
employers and/or industries.                       tourism

The Stocktake Tool will highlight strong           Information and
relationships that already exist and could be      communication
expanded on. It will also help you identify
opportunities to connect with other employers      Science and
                                                   Technology
and industries.
                                                   Financial and
                                                   insurance

                                                   Real Estate

                                                   Admin and support
                                                   services

                                                   Education, human
                                                   health and social
                                                   work

                                                   Arts, entertainment
                                                   and recreation

                                                  (Adapted from: Developing the Young Workforce (DYW)17, (2014))
                                                                                                                                                           20
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT

    Step 3: CONNECT
    Connecting
    with Employers:
    A game plan                                               Planning Matrix Tool
    Once you’ve done a stocktake of the employer
    engagement activities you can work out the                       Activity                  Number of   Number of      Time             Location
                                                                                                students   employers   commitment
    next type of activity that could happen and start
    approaching employers. Some employers may also
    have suggestions about the types of activities they
                                                          DISCOVER   Site visit                 10 – 15        1           Low         Employer’s venue

    would like to be involved with, and it’s good to be              School visit/speaker      30 – 100+     1-5           Low              School
    open to this.
                                                                     Online events             30 – 100+     1-5           Low               Online

    There are few steps to                                EXPLORE    Industry information
                                                                                               30 – 100+    15 – 50        High        School/other venue
                                                                     events
    take when connecting
    with employers:                                                  Careers event             30 – 100+    10 – 20        High             School

                                                                     Creative event             1 – 100+    2 – 50+       Medium       School/other venue
1   Decide on the engagement
    activity – What are you asking
    the employer to do?                                   CONNECT    Programmes                 1 – 20+       1+          Medium       Employer’s venue

    Before you contact employers it’s helpful to have                Work shadowing             1 – 10+       1+       Medium – High   Employer’s venue
    some ideas of the activity or activities you might
    do. This helps to determine the number and type                  Work placement             1 – 10+       1+          Medium       Employer’s venue
    of employers you need to engage. If you haven’t
    decided on the activity, the section Explore                     Curriculum integrated
                                                                                                  30+         1+       Medium – High   Employer’s venue
    different types of employer connections can                      employer engagement
    provide you with some ideas.
                                                                     Creative event             1 – 100+    1 – 50+       Medium       School/other venue
    The Planning Matrix Tool (right) can help you work
    out they types of activities your students might                 Enterprise competitions      30+         3+       Medium – High   School/other venue
    need based on the WE3 continuum, how many
    students you hope to be involved in the activity                 Teacher and
                                                                                                  1+          1+       Medium – High   Employer’s venue
                                                                     employer days
    and how many employers you need to approach.
                                                                                                                                                            21
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT                                                                                                                                            PAGE 22

2   Find and identify employers                               Direct contact with employers                                Advice about local employers and industry

    There are a range of channels you can use to reach out    »   The Board of Trustees – the board members are            »   Economic Development Agencies18 – are generally
    to organisations and individuals in your local area for       often from different backgrounds such as church              aligned to your local government / council.
    employer engagement activities. Start with existing           communities, iwi, hapū, community leaders and
                                                                                                                           »   Chambers of Commerce19 – often represent the
    community organisations, e.g Board of Trustees, local         business people. They will have a range of existing
                                                                                                                               business and industry community in your region.
    council, Chambers of Commerce, local business groups.         connections across your community.
    If you are looking for particular industries, there are                                                                »   Local Council and Mayor20 – If there is no Economic
                                                              »   Your parent community – Parents may be
    often industry bodies who might be able to put you in                                                                      Development Agency, then check with your local
                                                                  employers or employees of a diverse range of
    contact with somebody in your local area.                                                                                  council or the Mayor in your town or city. They
                                                                  businesses. They are one of the best groups to
                                                                                                                               usually have a range of contacts.
                                                                  begin connecting with.
                                                                                                                           »   Local Business Associations – represent and
                                                              »   Your school alumni – People that attended your
                                                                                                                               support their local business in your area. You can
                                                                  school are now in work – they may be running
                                                                                                                               find them online or ask your local council to help
                                                                  their own business or working for a business in the
                                                                                                                               connect you.
                                                                  community. Ask them to help. They are often happy
                                                                  to give back and help current students to see their      »   Regional Skills Leadership Groups21 – identify and
                                                                  world of work.                                               support better ways of meeting regional future
                                                                                                                               skills and workforce needs.
         Things to keep in mind                               »   Your school Facebook groups – many parents and
         when building a relationship                             their connections work in businesses that would be       »   Workforce Development Councils22 – there are
                                                                  happy to help the students in your community. Ask            six new industry-led and governed Workforce
         »   Engaging with employers is a journey                 them to help. You may be surprised by what they offer.       Development Councils (WDCs)These Councils set
             for both the school and the employer.                                                                             the future skills needs for industries and can help
                                                              »   Education to Employment Work Brokers – There
                                                                                                                               inform schools on their curriculum.
         »   Clear communication up front helps to                are 25 Work Brokers located in central and regional
             set clear expectations.                              hubs across Aotearoa (although not all regions).         »   Industry Associations and Organisations – most
         »   Start small and build from there. You                Their roles are centred around connecting schools/           industries have an association or organisation
             are both getting to know each other                  kura to employers. If you’d like to get in touch             that represents their industry. These organisations
             and starting small will build trust and              with a Work Broker, contact us at the Ministry of            can often help you connect to their members in
             confidence for everyone.                             Education and we’ll be able to connect to one in             your area. You can find contact details for these
                                                                  our area. You can reach us by emailing:                      organisations through a Google search.
         »   Not everything will go well all the
                                                                  employer.engagement@education.govt.nz
             time. Have an open conversation when
             these situations occur and be open to
             learning how we can all improve.
         »   Give it a go and see how it works for
             everyone.
         »   Keep developing the relationship and
             see what is possible.

                                                                                                                                                                                     22
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT TOOLKIT                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         PAGE 23

3   Plan ahead and know what you
    are asking for
    Before your reach out to an employer, be clear about
    what you want them to do, why, and what’s in it for them.

    It’s important that any engagement or partnership also
    aligns with the employer’s values and plans. This may
    include giving back to the local community and raising
    awareness about the local industry. Employers are
    interested in growing and investing in local talent, as
    well as establishing and retaining a loyal workforce.

     Connecting with schools gives businesses the chance
    to develop new talent and ensure the sustainability
    of the skills their business and industry needs. For
    example, Patton Engineering and Hastings Boys’ High
    School23 partnered together to meet each other’s
    needs. Both partners wanted to encourage more young
    people in Aotearoa New Zealand to consider pursuing a
    career in a STEM-related pathway such as engineering.

    Sharing the case studies in this Toolkit with employers,
    can provide them with tangible examples of the
    benefits and potential opportunities as the relationship                                                                                                           le in school
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                                                                                                                                     Help to engage young people in what’s
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  23
Engaging with young people in schools will...

benefit                                     benefit                               benefit
your                                        local young                           your
business                                    people                                community
Give back to the community by               They will gain knowledge              A better prepared
helping prepare young people for            and experience in:                    workforce
their working future
                                               what work environments are         More young people invested
Personal and professional                      actually like                      in what’s happening
development, particularly for your                                                in their community
younger team members, through                  the wide range of jobs available
mentoring and talking about your               in a workplace or industry         More young people engaged
business                                                                          in education, employment
                                               recruitment and interview          or training
Engage with young people who                   processes
can share different perspectives and                                              Builds confidence and
new ideas                                      employability skills expected      networks across schools,
                                               by employers                       community and business
Share insights and opportunities
about your industry                            their classroom learning           Long term economic
                                               connected to real world            development through
Build a potential future talent pool base      environments                       investment in a skilled
                                                                                  workforce and potential
Contribute to creating a more                  tangible career pathways and       increase in consumer spending
prepared workforce                             opportunities

Help to engage young people in
what’s going on in their community
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