Pathways for youth
Workplace pathways connect the youth of Kapiti with local businesses committed to supporting and developing local talent.
Kāpiti is full of smart and talented people. There are plenty of opportunities for your business to find fresh talent.
Taking on a student or graduate offers a multitude of benefits, including:
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builds your reputation as a graduate-friendly employer, which will bring talent to you
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is a way for you to offer work experience when you may not be able to make a permanent hire
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provides an opportunity for your current staff to mentor, train and develop new talent
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gives you access to fresh perspectives, news ideas and modern academic theory
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improves connections with tertiary organisations
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is a great way to invest in the next generation.
There are a number of programmes and tertiary connections available to help you create workforce pathways and talent pipelines into your company.
Work Ready Kāpiti
Work Ready Kāpiti is an employer-driven charitable trust incorporated in 2018. We encourage Kāpiti youth aged 15 to 24 years old to acquire and present evidence of both skills and experience to show that they are work ready and we encourage local employers to be ready to employ youth.
Our three key platforms are:
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The Work Experience Programme - WEX
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Kāpiti Work Ready Passport
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Events - #EmployerMeets and an annual Awards event.
Zeal - The home of young creatives
Zeal is a not-for-profit youth organisation dedicated to helping young kiwis discover, express and develop their unique creativity. Our mission is to positively impact every young New Zealander through creativity. We do this at our youth centres in Aotearoa through afterschool hangouts, events, creative programmes, workshops, online crisis intervention and more.
The new Zeal Kāpiti Youth Development Centre, in partnership with the Kāpiti Coast District Council, includes an event space, band rehearsal rooms, digital design suite, creative workshop, and after-school hangout space.
Kapiti Youth Support
KYS is the Kāpiti 'Youth Service' provider. 'Youth Service’ helps young people stay in or get back into education, training, or into work based learning. We want young people to have the skills to get a job that will help them have a better life. Young people aged 16-17 who are NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) and young people applying for financial assistance or who are also NEET can work with KYS Youth Coaches to find the best pathway for them.
KYS is also a free confidential health and support service for anyone aged 10 - 24 living in Kāpiti. Young parents aged 16-18 years applying for financial assistance also work with KYS.
Give KYS a call and ask to speak to one of our ‘Youth Service’ Coaches.
Internship programmes
The Summer of Tech and Summer of Biz internship programmes make it easy for employers to access new talent coming through for summer internships and other roles. Both internships programmes are employer led, and the organisation is non-profit.
Summer of Tech
This programme connects employers to top students and graduates from tertiaries across New Zealand for summer internships for all tech related roles.
Tertiary projects
Some tertiary students are required to complete industry work or research as part of their course. This is a good way for an employer to connect with a local tertiary, get to know students and have a project or some research completed.
The students may work individually or in groups and hours spent on the project varies. Industry projects should not be mission critical but rather 'nice to have'. As the students are completing an academic requirement, payment is not usually expected.
Funding
There are some instances where funding to take on students is available, if specific criteria is met.
Victoria University Summer Research scholarships
A limited number of scholarships are available annually for students. Businesses may apply to Victoria University with a research-based project to be taken up by a current student. The scholarships are jointly funded by the business and the university.
Callaghan Innovation R&D internships
These grants are designed to support both students and New Zealand businesses carrying out Research & Development.