Workforce Development

Workforce Development is a building block for inclusive Eastern Bay of Plenty growth Toi EDA provides a backbone role for workforce development in the Eastern BoP. Our mission for this mahi is cross-sector effort to grow the workforce for good jobs in Eastern Bay of Plenty industries.

We started in 2014 with a focus on employment for local people in two key growth industries in the Eastern Bay (kiwifruit and aquaculture). Our Workforce agendas now embrace all industries, and are especially targeted on opportunities emerging from the Eastern Bay Regional Development Project 2018.

We:
- actively support cross-sector locally-led efforts to create new pathways into work, and recognise that each rohe or community has it’s own leadership, and ways of doing things.
- convene and support regional-level activity where this can add value, or create efficiencies of scale to attract new programmes, services or resources to the Eastern Bay.
- connect across regions and nationally with others focussed on inclusive growth, to learn, and to share our learning and results.

Our Key Activities:

Information: We generate and share information to raise awareness and aspirations, inform collective effort and action, and monitor our progress. Understanding what jobs are available, where and when, and what skills and training are needed is vital for planning education and training pathways, and pastoral care. It’s also important to know who’s available to train or retrain, and identify gaps where we may need to attract locals “back home” or to campaign for people to relocate here from other parts of Aotearoa or overseas. This information also informs planning for transport links, accommodation and other community infrastructure which is vital to sustainable and inclusive growth in EBoP.
See the links below under Research and Reports, Resources.

ToiEDA LinkUp: Our programme called LinkUp – Connecting Rangatahi, Education and the World of Work supports schools to share more with tamariki and rangatahi about our EBoP industries, jobs and careers, and improve transition rates into training and work.

LinkUp:
- creates opportunities for students, teachers and school leadership to learn about EBOP industry and jobs kanohi ki kanohi and online
- produces resources with and for schools - helps forge new connections between schools and industry

See more about LinkUp here

Youth Employability – Licence to Work Programme: Toi EDA co-ordinates this programme regionally, and in 2018 three of our six secondary schools, and one government agency were actively involved. In 2019 the number of EBoP sites implementing YEP Licence to Work will double.The well-researched industry-led programme grows work readiness through teaching seven core competencies for work, which students then apply and receive feedback on from supervisors in both voluntary work placements and industry work experience placements. The programme can be woven into school and post school training programmes, and also helps grow employer “youth readiness”.

Pathways to Work Plans: We support communities to develop coherent local plans along with employers, education and training providers, Iwi and Māori, community members, local government. These Plans have both short and long-term horizons and create co-investment priorities for interested stakeholders like central government and philanthropy. They help build local understanding, relationships and innovation, and minimise the risks of being wholly dependent on centrally-led policies, programmes and funding streams which tend to be very short term. These Plans often include a focus on rangatahi who are NEET (not in education, training or work) as well as all age groups. See the Kawerau Pathways to Work Plan (November 2017) as an example.

Addressing Barriers to Participation in Education, Training and Work: Convening and supporting effort to address common barriers to participation in education, training and employment. Driver Licensing is our current priority as it’s an essential prerequisite for 70% of jobs in Aotearoa, and essential for our Eastern BoP communities where there is so little public transport available. We’re keen to see all schools supporting Class 1 Driver Licensing, and accessible training available across all EBoP communities, and we’re collaborating with other agencies keen to support this aspiration. We’re also advocating for investment in a new EBoP based Driver and Operator Training Centre, including Freight and Logistics. There is already a chronic shortage of appropriately qualified personnel, and EBoP is facing catalytic growth across four industries which all heavily depend on moving people and goods.

Other roles include:
- supporting networks and training among the organisations and people providing pastoral care and employment support to people entering/re-entering the workforce
- encouraging and supporting employer-led innovation to attract and retain people who have been NEET into their workforce
- helping attract investment into our EBoP Workforce Development priorities, eg into locally-led plans, and region wide initiatives