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 educators and trainers to share more with tamariki and rangatahi about our EBoP industries, jobs and careers, and improve transition and retention rates in training and work. In recessions, the rate of youth unemployment traditionally soars at much higher proportions than for other age groups, so it’s imperative for EBOP in our COVID recovery period to continue our priority on youth employability agendas.

LinkUp:
- supports opportunities for education/training personnel, leadership and students to learn about EBOP industry and jobs both kanohi ki kanohi and online
- produces resources with and for educators, trainers and students –and helps forge new connections and innovation with industry

See more about LinkUp here

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.

Addressing Barriers to Participation in Education, Training and Work: : Convening and supporting effort to address common barriers to participation in education, training and employment. Class 1 Driver Licensing remains a 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 integrating Class 1 Driver Licensing into curricula, and accessible training available across all EBoP communities. We co-ordinate information and collaborate with other agencies and funding providers with Class 1 Driver Licencing on their priorities. We support specific community-led initiatives..
Class 1 Driver Licencing is also a pathway to endorsed licences vital for work in freight and logistics industries. 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, so with industry and regional support we established Te Ara Huringa ō Pupuwharau – the Eastern Bay Driver and Operator Training Centre. See here for more

Other roles include:
- 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