New Project Focuses on Secondary Students' Destinations

    skillnzlogo.gif - 2466 Bytes

    Destination and Tracking Project

    14 September 2001

    Selected Christchurch and Porirua secondary schools are participating in a new Career Services / Skill New Zealand pilot project designed to give insights into young people's career aspirations and destinations.

    The Christchurch-based pilot was launched by Hon Ruth Dyson, Associate Minister of Social Services and Employment and Christchurch Mayor Garry Moore on Friday 14 September.

    dysonmoore.jpg - 41407 Bytes Hon Ruth Dyson speaks on the new pilot, with mayor Garry Moore and CDC's Graeme Plummer.

    "There is no resource we should support as strongly as the potential of our young people. This new tracking scheme will help us help them reach toward their full potential," Garry Moore said in his speech [available in full here]. Skill New Zealand's Canterbury / Aorangi regional manager Ranui Ngarimu also spoke on Skill New Zealand's contribution to the project [available in full here].

    Destinations data from approximately 1,700 students from six Canterbury secondary schools will be collected by Career Services as part of the pilot Destinations and Tracking project based in Canterbury. Over 900 students at Porirua's four secondary schools will also be surveyed. [Click here for the list of participating schools].

    CDC, the Canterbury Development Corporation, will also be surveying some schools, and Skill New Zealand looks forward to working with them identifying suitable pathways for young school leavers.

    Career Services and Skill New Zealand are running the year-long pilot project in partnership, based on an original request from the Mayors' Taskforce for Jobs.

    ruthdjudithranui.jpg - 38235 Bytes Hon Ruth Dyson, Judith Backhouse and Ranui Ngarimu, seen at the Destinations launch.

    "The Destinations and Tracking project will contribute to the goal of ensuring that all young people up to the age of 18 who leave school enter appropriate work, education or training. We would like to see no young people falling out of the system post-school," says Judith Backhouse, Destinations Project Manager, Career Services.

    The first stage of the pilot will begin in October with students from Year 11 onwards completing a survey on their plans once they leave school..

    The second stage of the pilot will take place early in 2002 when their intended destinations data will be matched against actual destinations.

    This second stage will be completed by CareerPoint - Career Services' career information and advice freephone service. CareerPoint's advisers will contact the secondary students to ask them their actual destination outcome.

    During this contact, the CareerPoint Advisors will be able to identify whether the student needs further career information and advice and will offer them contacts within their community who could help them, for example school career advisors and/or relevant youth agencies.

    A report on the pilot project is due in June 2002.

    Career Services and Skill New Zealand hope results from this project will be used in schools to enhance career education, and help to identify possible tools and approaches that can be used with young people.

    It is also anticipated that the data will provide valuable information to a wider range of agencies working with school leavers who have not entered ongoing training or employment.

    Pilot project - participating schools

    Christchurch area
    Akaroa Area School
    Avonside Girls High School
    Oxford Area School
    Rangiora High School
    St Bedes College
    Van Asch Deaf Education Centre

    Porirua
    Aotea College
    Bishop Viard College
    Mana College
    Porirua College