Report and Plan March 2015 - Rotorua · This is an ambitious vision, but received wide support. To...

1 Rotorua Youth Transitions March 2015 – Report and Plan

Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs

Rotorua Youth Transitions Report and Plan – March 2015

Context and Overview In July 2013 a Social Sector Trial was established in Rotorua and locally named ‘Excel Rotorua’. These Trials are government-funded cross-agency initiatives exploring new approaches to social sector delivery and change. Rotorua’s focus is specifically on education. Increased levels of co-operation, collaboration, transparency and accountability around programmes and services are expected, along with improved outcomes for tamariki, children, rangatahi and young people. 1 In 2014, Excel Rotorua prioritised examining the situation for local young people as they transition through education into training and work, and identifying potential improvements that could be made locally. Recognising the vital link to the Rotorua 2030 Strategy led by Rotorua Lakes Council, and the importance of local young people growing to their potential, Mayor Steve Chadwick agreed to partner with a focused Excel Project (known as Project #12), under the umbrella of the Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs. An aspiration was developed, that:

“By 2017, all Rotorua young people under the age of 20 will be in education, training or work”.

This is an ambitious vision, but received wide support. To progress the vision MSD contracted Te Taumata o Ngāti Whakāue Ihu Ake Trust to advance the approach, and they subcontracted Kowhai Health Associates to lead a scoping and planning process. A Reference Group for the scoping phase was established. Chaired by the Mayor, it includes representation from secondary and tertiary education; youth services providers; the Chamber of Commerce; government ministries and entities; and the Rotorua Lakes Council. Many other people from across government agencies, businesses, organisations and networks, Iwi and hapū entities and community contributed their information and ideas through workshops, interviews and conversations.

The Report identifies the fragmented nature of both information and services locally. It points to key areas for intervention including inclusive, collaborative and coherent leadership for a sustained locally-led approach, more industry and Iwi involvement, sharper workforce planning and a range of practical improvements to the local youth transitions infrastructure. Six project areas are outlined for immediate cross-sector focus.

The Report draws on existing researched views of rangatahi and young people regarding transition from education into training and work. The local “Youth Voice” Partnership Project led by Rotorua Lakes Councillor Tania Tapsell has commenced early in 2015. It will be vital to weave their input into planning for all projects going forward. Connecting education more with communities, and engaging more whānau, families, and neighbourhoods where young people and rangatahi live needs to be part of the strategy going forward.

1 While beyond the scope of this report, the Rotorua Youth Transitions approach and Plan would fit well with a Rotorua-

driven “cradle to career” cross sector commitment and plan. Currently, while there is enormous community and

government investment, and monitoring by government agencies, there is no locally driven strategy that cuts across the

silos and empowers a whole community commitment to every child prospering. Youth Transitions is a vital segment of such

a strategy.


Contents

Context ..................................................................................................................................................... 1

The Burning Platform ............................................................................................................................... 3

A Whole of Community Commitment ..................................................................................................... 3

Collaboration and Determination ............................................................................................................ 4

The Opportunity ....................................................................................................................................... 5

Harnessing the Opportunity: Intervention Points .................................................................................. 6

a. Collective leadership, connected clusters of activity, and monitoring ......................................... 7

Project 1: Rotorua–wide commitment to successful transitions for all rangatahi/young people ................ 7

b. Future industry and workforce focus ............................................................................................ 7

Project 2: Workforce Planning and Pipelines ................................................................................................ 8

Project 3: Local Knowledge about Industry Sector Employment Needs ....................................................... 9

Project 4: Work Experience and Placement Opportunities ........................................................................... 9

c. Strengthened local ‘infrastructure’ and information .................................................................. 10

Project 5: Electronic and Physical Information Hubs .................................................................................. 10

d. Sustainable resourcing for pastoral care and support ................................................................ 12

Project 6: Develop a Sustainable Programmes Approach ......................................................................... 12

Further Projects ..................................................................................................................................... 13

Historical Note ....................................................................................................................................... 13

Two Appendices (available as separate documents) present background material which informed this Report and Plan.

APPENDIX ONE compiles available statistics and data.

APPENDIX TWO compiles information about support and services available to young people.


The Burning Platform

Rotorua is fortunate to have a population age structure that is more youthful than many other regional centres. This is due to the high Māori population in particular.

As for the rest of NZ, Rotorua has both a looming labour shortage, and aspirations of sustainable development including economic growth. Overall population trends and age structure mean that the labour market entry-to-exit ratio (15-24 year olds in the labour market compared with 55-64 years in the labour market) is reducing steadily. Each year a declining overall number of children and young people are entering and exiting education, and fewer young people are entering the workforce than there are older people exiting. On a Business as Usual scenario, 4,500 new jobs are anticipated in Rotorua by 20222. This number of jobs is far beyond the numbers of working age population currently predicted to be here in 2022.

Currently many Rotorua young people and rangatahi are leaving school with no qualifications. While achievement rates in national qualification are increasing, they are still well below national averages overall.

Over the last few years, Rotorua’s local youth unemployment rate has climbed steeply and is now worse than in the early 1990s. This deterioration has followed the global financial crisis and has resulted in both short and long term social, cultural and economic costs. According to 2013 Census data, our overall rate of unemployment for our 15-24 year olds is one in four. The rate is much higher among Māori and Pacific young people. Rotorua youth and rangatahi make up well over one quarter of all of the Bay of Plenty’s youth clients for Ministry of Social Development funded Job Seeker Support.3

A Whole of Community Commitment

This “burning platform” provides compelling drivers to work together as a community. Young people and rangatahi are the future. For Rotorua to succeed, every rangatahi and young person needs to succeed and become contributors to workplaces and the economy. Many will choose to relocate to study, work or travel. Rotorua wants them to anticipate returning here to work at some time in the future because they see it as home, and also as a desirable place to live, work, play, and raise a family. Those rangatahi and young people who remain will become the core of Rotorua’s future workforce.

Achieving this level of change and success is a complex challenge. A myriad of factors influence whether young people transition successfully through education, and into further training, education and work.

There is no ‘silver bullet’ or one simple solution. Sustainable solutions to complex challenges require sustained community collaboration and effort.

2 GROW Rotorua, presentation to Capable Rotorua 2 September 2014

3 March April 2015 Report of the Regional Commissioner, MSD


Collaboration and Determination

Rotorua has a wealth of determined and passionate people who are already investing time and energy in supporting rangatahi and young people to transition. Business people and employers; Iwi and hapū leaders and organisations; training, education and social service providers; local and central government agency personnel; and various network leaders are already making the best of their resources to achieve positive outcomes.

Through this Project, they have pointed clearly to some intervention points or ‘opportunities’ which will help catalyse better rates of progression through education and into training and work for local rangatahi and young people.

Opportunity (or Intervention) Points in Complex Systems

What’s required now is more concerted cross-sectoral effort , and a local willingness to collaborate and ‘have a go’ together around these intervention points or ‘opportunities’ to improve Rotorua’s systems and success rates in ensuring every rangatahi and young person progresses through education and training and into work.

Building on Rotorua’s local capacity to collaborate is vital to success.


The Opportunity

The scoping exercise clearly shows the area for opportunity is a concerted multi-sector commitment to more timely interventions. These need to provide both holistic support, and contemporary vocational and workforce information. The focus needs to start younger and be more on rangatahi and young people who are doing ok and those who are at risk of disengaging. A cross-sector focus is also needed on real and emerging work opportunities locally, and tailoring the best training and education pathways or ‘staircases’ for local young people into available positions.

In the main, Government funding and intervention relevant to youth transitions is ‘problem’, not ‘possibility’ focussed. The thresholds for government funded intervention and supports are high, and with fiscal constraints and current policy settings, the likelihood of that changing soon are low. Locally, people understand the logic of investing more in early intervention. There’s a strong call for education and support around vocational pathways and career options at earlier years, and wrap-around interventions that support children and young people who are disengaging from school.

Rotorua has the know-how to do this. A strong spirit of collaboration has resulted in many successful ‘pilots’ and ‘programmes’. Sometimes these have faltered at the point where continued government funding has not been forthcoming. It’s important not to keep repeating this pattern, but to find more sustainable ways to put in place the right Rotorua infrastructure and projects which leverage government funding, but which are not fully dependent on it for the long term. A determined effort is required if Rotorua is sincere about all its rangatahi and young people being engaged in education, training or work.


Harnessing the Opportunity: Intervention Points

The goodwill and aspiration for all Rotorua rangatahi and young people to succeed through school

into training and work are widely shared. Locally there is a robust foundation of schools, businesses,

secondary and tertiary education training providers, youth community and social service

organisations, Hapū and Iwi entities with a focus on rangatahi and youth. What’s needed is more

rigorous connection and engagement systems among them, and with industry.

This scoping report outlines four important intervention points, under which six projects are

identified. The intervention points are:

a) Collective leadership, connected clusters of activity, and monitoring

A collective, long term, community-driven commitment led by the office of the Mayor, and

supported by robust systems to convene the whole of community approach, and co-ordinate

monitoring on progress

b) Future Industry and Workforce Focus

Engage more strategically with industry leaders and Iwi entities to more clearly identify short,

medium and long term workforce requirements, and tailor secondary and tertiary education and

training to both build Rotorua’s workforce for the future, and increase the success rate of local

rangatahi and young people transitioning to real work and productivity.

c) Strengthened local ‘infrastructure’ and information

Build on existing local strengths to improve transition focussed information, systems, services

and activities both for rangatahi and young people, and for the personnel, organisations and

networks serving them.

d) Networked and sustainable pastoral care and support programmes

Find solutions to ‘Mainstream’ proven programmes that reintegrate students at risk of

disengaging from compulsory education. Map and connect current pastoral care and support to

ensure the sum of the parts contributes to Rotorua’s aspiration. Pay attention to supporting and

capacity-building the paid and unpaid pastoral care workforce.


a) Collective leadership, connected clusters of activity, and monitoring

A collective, long term, community-driven commitment led by the office of the Mayor, and supported by robust systems to convene the whole of community approach, and co-ordinate monitoring on progress

The ambitious aspiration is that every Rotorua rangatahi and young person will be in education

training or work by 2017 is underpinned by widespread knowledge that achieving and sustaining this

is really a longer term commitment. The rate of change in the workforce is escalating both in terms

of age structure and the nature of “work” which industry and employers require. There is no

roadmap for Rotorua to follow. But there are enormous strengths and opportunities to leverage.

Project 1 Rotorua–wide commitment to successful transitions for all rangatahi/young people

Build on the meetings and work to date around a Rotorua–wide commitment to every rangatahi and young person progressing successfully through education and into further learning opportunities or work.

What’s required next 1.1 Formalised commitment to the local goal by industry, Iwi entities, agencies and organisations and agreement to working collaboratively around specific project areas and contributing knowledge and resources.

1.2 Quarterly (initially) cross sector events to deepen relationships and understanding of roles and perspectives, share information and tends, update progress and learning from project areas, catalyse new ideas and celebrate success.

1.3 Establishment of a monitoring programme to track Rotorua’s progress in youth transitions, with attention to indicators at personal and population4 levels, performance of local infrastructure, innovation and creativity, and overall progress.

1.4 Communications and programmes which inform, acknowledge and celebrate individual and organisational ‘game-changers’, community success, innovation, and progress in youth transitions

Resources Required Convening and brokering role to support the Mayor and network, co-ordinate with clusters of activity and oversee establishment of monitoring

Co-ordination of baseline monitoring and assembly of ongoing programme in consultation with partners

Co-ordination and dissemination of regular media and communications which celebrate Rotorua innovation, success and progress in youth transitions

Potential Co-ordination / Oversight

Needs to have a strong link with the Mayor and Rotorua Lakes Council. Costings and recommendations under development

4 Indicators at personal and population levels are already reasonably well documented


b) Future industry and workforce focus

Engage with industry leaders and Iwi entities to clearly identify short, medium and long term sector workforce requirements, and tailor local secondary and tertiary education and training to both build Rotorua’s workforce for the future, and increase the success rate of local rangatahi and young people transitioning to real work and productivity.

Rotorua has leading edge industries and sectors, and a common cry is ‘we can’t find the workforce we need’. Some local businesses have developed stellar work experience, placement, cadetship and trainee roles, and tertiary scholarships and are effectively cultivating their own future workforce. There’s willingness and capacity in our schools and tertiary institutions to work more in this way. This is also congruent with the Ministry of Education Youth Guarantee approach.

Scoping activities revealed a strong call by school personnel and youth training and employment services for many more work and workplace opportunities for local young people. While in general employers consulted during the scoping were willing, some have had frustrating experiences where the young people were not well matched to the workplace situation, did not have some essential basic skills, and the workplace could not provide the level of support required.

Industry leaders have indicated a need for senior secondary and tertiary leadership to keep current with rapidly emerging industry workforce needs so that they can ensure education and training are appropriately directed; and also for improved student understanding and perceptions about roles available in local industry. The annual Career Expo was noted, as were relationships between some businesses and schools.

The Bay of Connections Economic Development Strategy, He Mauri Ohooho (the Bay of Plenty Māori Economic Development Strategy) and GROW Rotorua’s analysis all help refine economic and employment growth industry areas pertinent for Rotorua’s workforce development attention. The Bay of Plenty Tertiary Intentions Plan also indicates a commitment to tertiary education providers working in more collaborative ways to create training pathways for industry.

Project 2 Workforce Planning and Pipelines/Pathways for Young People

What’s required next 2.1 Undertake a Workforce Planning approach with Rotorua’s Health, Wellness and Spa industry5 to identify job types and numbers required over each year of the coming decade

2.2 Encourage a high level of engagement between school curriculum planners, tertiary educators and training organisations to create ‘pipelines’ for young people in utilising the Workforce Planning information6

2.3 Work with local industry and the education and training sectors to constantly reflect on learning throughout this approach, so that the concept can be improved/adapted and used with other sectors over time.

5 This sector has been selected because it is on a high growth trajectory with new investment assured. GROW

has done some preliminary assessment of interest amonth the tourism oriented industry leaders; the broader public health industry has a well organised national workforce planning framework, and Lakes DHB are highly enegaged with secondary and tertiary education providers. The burgeoning older population is also going to create huge demand for elder care health and wellness services. 6 This approach fits well with the current Youth Guarantee framework being supported by Ministry of

Education. It will be important for the Ministry to quantify the level and amount of support they have available, and the timeframe.


Resources Required Rotorua Health Spa and Wellness Workforce Study costs

Convening of multi-sectors to look at outcomes

Secondary/tertiary sector commitment to plan and operationalise pathways


Discussions underway including GROW and Ministry of Youth Development

Project 3 Grow Local Knowledge about Industry Sector Employment Needs

What’s required next

(Note links to Infrastructure Projects)

3.1 Work with industry to create targeted information, experiences and events ( including a programme of co-ordinated tours) which improve local knowledge and understanding about current and emerging industry sector employment needs, to:

inform education, training and career planning choices by rangatahi, young people and their families and whānau, and

help ensure local secondary and tertiary curriculum leaders are current in their knowledge of industry and employer needs

work with local employers to regularly profile their initiatives to engage and support young people in their workplaces, and include young people’s experiences and comments about workplace-based learning and opportunities

facilitate opportunities for local employers with good practices and experience in recruiting and retaining young people to share their knowledge and learning with other employers and the wider Youth Transition sector

Resources Required Part time co-ordination and communications roles, and project costs


To be discussed. Strong links to industry required.

Project 4 Work Experience and Placement Opportunities

What’s required next 4.1 Collaborate with the Chamber of Commerce, GROW Rotorua and other industry networks to identify 20 local businesses willing to trial additional work experience and work placement opportunities for young people registered with Youth Services, with a high level of additional support

4.2 Work closely with each rangatahi or young person and employer to clarify what’s required, and co-ordinate this with Youth Services, pastoral care and other networks including training providers

4.3 Review and report on outcomes and the potential to expand the concept

Resources Required: • Contract role and project costs

Potential Co-ordination / Oversight:

Youth Services, Chamber of Commerce and MSD


c) Strengthened local ‘infrastructure’ and information

Build on existing strengths to improve transition focussed information, systems, services

and activities both for rangatahi and young people, and for the sectors, people and

organisations serving them.

i. Infrastructure to accelerate access to information and support for Youth and Rangatahi

Youth education and training is a complex ecosystem embracing social, health and wellness, economic and cultural challenges. Where rangatahi and young people are actively engaged in education or training and have positive relationships with dedicated personnel, whānau and family who are fully informed, help is readily available to navigate options and choices, including career support. Similarly if they are eligible to register for support with Youth Services, extensive other networks can be mobilised, for example to direct them to Career Network for career support and advice, or to Rotovegas for general health related issues. But for the many others while there is a wealth of information and support available locally and online, currently there is no Rotorua ‘go to place’ (either physically or virtually) for a comprehensive ‘roadmap’. Information about training and education options is dispersed and fluid. And there are different eligibility criteria for accessing various kinds of support, and these change frequently.

To enhance what’s already in place, make it easier for rangatahi and young people to find “on ramps”, and help ensure people working with people can readily access current and correct information, some smart and simple connecting systems need to be created.

Project 5 Electronic and Physical Information Hubs

What’s required next 5.1 Work with all sectors to develop and constantly update a virtual (electronic) ‘info hub’ that is youth friendly and includes links (spokes) to education, training, support and employment options and criteria, (including cadetships, internships, scholarships to support study), and where to go for further information. The ‘info hub’ should also point to available health and wellbeing services and eligibility criteria, and youth activities. The site would both build on and be a contributor to the Youth Transition information in place through the Working4Youth Network and Website, and Good Health.

5.2 Develop and trial the existing Council supported Community Youth Centre as a physical ‘hub’ or ‘go to place’ for young people wanting more information, support or guidance around transition issues, with ‘spokes’ linking to related local services, education and training providers and employers, neighbourhood and community- based initiatives, Iwi and Hapū, churches

Add the Youth Transition focus alongside existing youth focussed activity at the site and adjacent community services. These already include literacy and numeracy, health, mental health, drug and alcohol abuse, driver licensing, intergenerational mentoring, youth activities located in the facilities at and neat the Community Youth Centre.

Trial permanent or weekly sessional ‘clinics’ at the Community Youth Centre e.g. for Careers Advice, NEET and Youth Services, Attendance Services, Whānau Ora, Activity Based Learning options, and the Virtual Youth Team and review changes. Consolidate useful changes.


Resources Required: To be scoped. Note the information and ‘mapping concepts” compiled through the current project as an input.

Potential Co-ordination / Oversight:

Rotorua Youth Centre Community Trust

ii. Youth Transition Sector Focussed Infrastructure

There are hundreds of organisations, services and information providers across multiple sectors within the “Rotorua landscape” relevant to youth transitions through school and into education, training and work.

However, while some sectors are well connected internally (eg some schools and tertiaries), currently there is very sparse community-wide infrastructure to support intersectoral or interagency collaboration specifically around youth transitions.

The Engaging Youth Forum which involves the Ministry of Education, Police, Attendance Services and agencies working with non-attenders, and has a long track record of trialling different strategies to improve school attendance, and working hard to identify and ensure positive post-school options for young people who gain consent to leave under the age of 16.

The Working4Youth Network also has a long track record of convening and informing people who work with young people, and supporting local innovation to improve outcomes for young people. Currently primarily health and social sector personnel are active in this.

Youth Services, funded by Ministry of Social Development and operated by Te Waiariki Purea Trust, is the connector to around 500 local young people who have left school but are not in training or work. They link with many of the dedicated services, agencies, education and training providers which are part of Rotorua’s youth transitions ‘tapestry’.

Capable Rotorua, initiated by Careers NZ, currently hosts two networks. One focusses specifically on improving literacy and numeracy options; and another fledging network brings together people and agencies providing pastoral and mentoring services or support. A third, focussed on Rotorua’s labour force, is in abeyance. While these networks are not exclusively youth transition oriented, many of the people and organisations involved are participating to improve options for rangatahi and young people.

Youth Guarantees network (on hold) – In 2013 the Ministry of Education initiated this network which brought together school Careers, Gateway and Star personnel, programme leaders from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and Waiariki Institute of Technology, industry training organisations and providers, social and community services, Hapū organisations and other government agency representatives. For ministry purposes, a more senior level of personnel is required and currently they are contacting Principals of schools and senior management of teritiary organisations. (It is noted that some frustration was expressed when the Youth Guarantees Network was abandoned, as clearly the opportunity and mandate to gather was valued.)

All Projects will add to the local infrastructure supporting Youth Transitions, by bringing various clusters together to focus on practical plans and actions. Project 1 will provide co-ordination and networking functions, and support monitoring to help inform next steps and progress.


d) Networked and Sustainable Pastoral Care and Support Programmes

Find solutions to ‘Mainstream’ proven programmes that reintegrate students at risk of

disengaging from compulsory education. Map and connect current pastoral care and

support to ensure the sum of the parts contributes to Rotorua’s aspiration. Pay attention

to supporting and capacity-building the paid and unpaid pastoral care workforce.

“Camp Mother”, the adult who walks alongside rangatahi and young people as they journey through the transition from childhood to adulthood, and compulsory education to training and work, is noted as a core role which helped Otorohanga achieve 100% participation in education, training and work.

The role sat within a whole of community pledge to support every young person, and “Camp Mother” (with some administrative support) “checked in” with each of them six monthly or so until the age of 20, helping them problem solve barriers along the way.

Rotorua is a much larger community, and there are already multiple “camp mothers” working in paid and unpaid roles to awhi rangatahi and young people along. These include

Volunteers through a number locally driven mentoring initiatives, including community and church based initiatives and Big Brother Big Sister, the Rotary Clubs initiative, and the Intergenerational Project.

Professionals working in paid roles working in careers, vocational and industry training fields, education, youth and social service workers

Additionally Rotorua has also initiated successful pastoral care initiatives focussed on “at risk of disengaging” rangatahi and young people and constantly struggle to find sustainable resourcing to continue and be made available more widely. Examples include Maui Tū, the Te Arawa Journey, Cactus, and Ka Hao te Rangatahi.

These approaches, and pastoral care for the longer term, need to be ‘mainstreamed’. They are essential building blocks to achieving Rotorua’s youth transitions goal.

Project 6 Develop a Sustainable Programmes Approach

Convene discussion on:

how to achieve sustainable resourcing and ‘mainstream’ proven programmes

Support Capable Rotorua effort to:

map the availability and current coverage of appropriate pastoral care and support to rangatahi and youth, and plan a connected way forward, and

increase the availability of peer mentoring networks, and education, training and support for workers (paid and unpaid)


Capable Rotorua along with Working4Youth


Further Projects

Other areas for attention, once this first ‘suite’ of Projects is up and running.

These concepts have also come strongly through workshops and interviews:

Create more activity-based learning options for young people and rangatahi who have left school and are not currently engaged in education, training or work.

Address youth drug and alcohol issues

Explore youth accommodation options (note that Capable Rotorua is progressing some exploration)

In association with Iwi and Māori, explore the level of interest in a central North Island Residential Vocational Training Facility focussed on workforce training for primary sector industries, along the lines of Telford (a division of Lincoln University) in Canterbury.

Create a Rotorua support network for youth entrepreneurship - Youth Creating Work

Historical Note

Historically, from 2004-2011, Rotorua had a Strategy to improve Youth Transitions, and a cross sector Strategic Implementation Group which proactively identified barriers and worked to overcome them. While the model fitted a particular timeframe and government policy and funding context, some observations and learning from that approach will be useful going forward.

In particular:

The strategy was developed locally to enable funding for a local Youth Transition Service from the Ministry of Social Development. It created a focal point for people to convene and remove barriers to “young people getting through”

The Strategic Implementation Group (SIG) had an open membership and always included people from government, local government, school, community and youth sectors. Noted that the tertiary sector, Iwi and industry were never deeply engaged

The SIG influenced investment locally, particularly in the health and social service arenas, and catalysed relationships

The Youth Transition Service (precursor to the current Youth Services) reported emerging issues and trends to the SIG, and other sectors also brought contemporary information of relevance to youth transitions

The SIG had regular liaison with the Mayor, who could exercise the community leadership role, including through the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs

Funding for a SIG convenor (part time role) was provided through the Ministry of Social Development

Report and Plan March 2015 - Rotorua · This is an ambitious vision, but received wide support. To...

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Transcript of Report and Plan March 2015 - Rotorua · This is an ambitious vision, but received wide support. To...