Youth Connections

What is Youth Connections

Youth Connections is an Auckland Council initiative supported by the Tindall Foundation, dedicated to improving youth employment.

Auckland has a large and growing youth population who will be the city's future leaders and workers, so it's crucial that our young people get the skills and opportunities they need to succeed.

Creating employment opportunities

Around 10 per cent of Aucklanders aged from 16 to 24 are not in employment, education or training (NEET). This is the core group that Youth Connections focuses on.

We work at a regional level with:

• central government
• the business community
• local boards
• schools
• youth service providers
• communities and many others

to foster excellent youth employment opportunities and practices across Auckland.

Key initiatives

Youth Connections focus on four key initiatives:

1. JobFest

We created the JobFest youth employment event which attracts around 2000 young people and 70 employers looking to recruit youth for hundreds of jobs on the day.

It's New Zealand's largest recruitment event for young people, and the employers that attend are committed to engaging with young people and giving them a chance to begin their careers.

2. Youth Employer Pledge

The Youth Employer Pledge was created to recognise the commitment and leadership of organisations working to support youth employment.

Youth Employer Pledge partners are committed to:

• finding ways to engage with young people who are looking for work
• creating more opportunities, pathways, and support for young people to find employment and stay employed.

For more information, visit the Youth Employer Pledge website. 

3. Community youth employment initiatives

The initiatives are targeted to the specific needs of communities. They are run in partnership with:

• local employers
• youth services providers
• marae
• education providers
• other stakeholders.

The initiatives can be:

• driver licencing programmes
• work-readiness courses
• specific vocational training support
• developing employment opportunities and pathways.

We currently run Youth Connections programmes in the following local boards:

• Whau
• Henderson-Massey
• Maungakiekie-Tāmaki
• Māngere-Ōtāhuhu
• Ōtara-Papatoetoe
• Puketāpapa
• Franklin
• Waitakere Ranges
• Papakura.

4. YouthFull

YouthFull is a unique learning and recruitment platform designed specifically to help young people with limited experience and qualifications, to begin their careers.

It provides direct access to employers and jobs, instead of having to go through a standard recruitment application process requiring a CV.

Instead, it allows young people to pitch for jobs directly to employers, using video, presentations or any format they like.

YouthFull also provides free online courses to help young people get the skills employers are looking for, like communication, time management and self-awareness.

For more information, visit the YouthFull website.

Contact us

If you would like more information about Youth Connections, we would love to hear from you.

You can contact us in the following ways:

Youth.Connections@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

https://www.facebook.com/youthconnectionsakl/