Work experience can help you get a foot in the door. But what happens when the programme ends and there isn’t a job waiting on the other side?
It’s a problem Kindness Collective Foundation has heard time and time again from organisations working with rangatahi, and one its new Tupu Rangatahi programme has been designed to tackle.
Launching this October, Tupu Rangatahi is an employment, education and community programme supporting Māori and Pasifika rangatahi through practical qualifications, paid work experience and, crucially, ongoing support into employment.
Participants will build practical skills ranging from financial literacy and CV preparation to forklift training and food safety, before undertaking paid work experience across a range of workplaces. Rather than pointing rangatahi towards a single career, the programme gives them exposure to different industries and something tangible to put on their CV. Employment partners are also providing pathways into jobs, with participants supported through interviews and their first months in the workplace by the programme team.
The idea grew out of an informal pilot run during Kindness Collective‘s Christmas Joy Store last year, when seven young people completed seven weeks of paid work. Some moved into full-time employment, one returned to school, two were able to move into a flat together, while another gained early acceptance to study law at university.
The Trusts provided $95,000 as the programme’s founding funder, helping take Tupu Rangatahi from that initial pilot into a fully designed programme. Funding has supported its infrastructure and brand development, rangatahi-led design workshops, training for the first cohorts, uniforms and wages.
Kindness Collective Founder and CEO Sarah Page says the programme is about giving rangatahi evidence that they are capable of taking the next step.
“What it meant was they had some money in the bank and something on their CV to go, actually, I do have the confidence to go and do this. I can work and I can earn money.”
Sarah says The Trusts’ support enabled the idea to move beyond the pilot. “If they didn’t provide this funding, we wouldn’t have been able to start this ball rolling. It has not been possible without the support from The Trusts.”
The Trusts CEO Allan Pollard says Tupu Rangatahi tackles an important gap between gaining skills and successfully entering the workforce.
“Getting that first opportunity can change the direction of a young person’s life, but Tupu Rangatahi recognises that the opportunity itself isn’t enough. Kindness Collective is giving rangatahi the chance to build genuine independence and momentum. We’re incredibly proud to have helped get this programme off the ground.”
For whānau across The West, that mix of practical training, paid work and someone in your corner once the job starts can be the difference between a good experience and a lasting one.
Learn more about Kindness Collective Foundation at kindness.org.nz or follow them on Facebook.
If you or your organisation could use support from The Trusts, find out how to apply at thetrusts.co.nz/our-funds.
