Got a Trade Big Bus Tour was a follow-on event from the Workchoice Earn & Learn Event. A smaller group of students went to the Ellerslie Event Centre where they met up with other schools in the Auckland Region. From there, they were transported to big companies like Waste Management and Fulton Hogan to see what really happens in the World of Work.
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They were lent the work gear – hi-vis vests, hard hats, etc, so they could go on to the work sites to find out about all the jobs that were available within each company. It was extremely interesting and highly organised. The students were able to “see” the jobs within each industry from top level jobs to entry level jobs. |
Best piece of information they were given? From Fulton Hogan – “If you have your Restricted Driver Licence and a great attitude, we can give you a job today!!! |
June 2016
About 500 students attended the Workchoice Earn & Learn event which focussed on Apprenticeship opportunities. It featured Ronnie Taulafo of “What Now” TV fame who was an awesome MC. And the keynote speaker was Sela Alo from radio Flava FM who shared his close call with heart disease and talked about how he wanted to be around for his kids and how young people should take every opportunity they get.
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Advice students received from the event:
The students from Years 13 and 12 DTG (Digital Technologies )have just visited Orion Health, a software company that specialises in medical systems. As the students will soon be making decisions about their futures they were greatly enthused and inspired by learning what a huge demand there currently is in New Zealand for the very skills they are learning.
At Orion there is a huge variety of positions within the company with a great demand for workers who have a degree in computer science and software engineering. The company offers incentives to get these graduates to work for them – including offering internships for students while they are studying. The company is 21 years old and has offices in 23 countries leading to increased opportunities for employees. The employees get free breakfasts each day, free fruit, flexible working hours, work in an open plan environment and can wear casual clothes to work. The company also supports younger students by running the Codeworx programming challenge and sponsors the ICT Connect program which sends people working in the ICT industries to schools to talk about their jobs.
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The students came away with a goodie bag, and a chocolate bar (and for Dilon Dhanji, winner of an ICT quiz, a box of Favourites which he generously shared around!) but most valuably they now appreciate the opportunities that await them should they choose to continue their studies in computer science and software engineering
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The entire Year 13 cohort travelled in eight buses to the Careers Expo on Thursday 8th May with their form teachers, having prepared prior to the expo with an expo magazine and study resource as well as being given the chance to download the careers expo app, full of information. Students took the advantage of the opportunity to talk face to face with the widest range of employers, industry, government departments, and training providers that New Zealand offers.
Providers informed students on Vocational Pathways so that students better understand how they can be prepared for future employment or further education. |
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![]() Above : Jacobs Right : Telecom This national event was attended by 25 Year 12 &13 Lynfield students within three interest groups. Two different workplaces were visited by each group and students returned buzzing with new ideas about their career pathways. They saw employees in action, got an idea of the variety of job roles within each company and were encouraged to further their studies. |
![]() This year the companies hosting us were: Jacobs SKM Telecom Sovereign Auckland Council -Economic Development Sanofi Coca-Cola |
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Student response: “ I was amazed with the culture within the company, the vibe within the working space and the passion of the employees-I’d never thought about that before, but to be there ‘on the floor’ was an eye-opener." |