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Greater support for Rotorua youth wanting to get into the workplace

Youthhub navigator Kassara Boaza (left), partnerships broker Kirsten Bangs and navigator Yasmin Beizlle at the Rotorua Youth Centre.

There is greater support for young people wanting to get in to the workplace with help from a new dedicated youth team.

The team is using an integrated IT platform called Youthhub which focuses on connecting youth 15 to 24-years-old into employment and training/education opportunities.

Young people create a Youthhub profile which shows skills and attributes that would be featured in a CV but in a visual way.

Rotorua Youth Centre manager Steve Holmes says they now have two navigators to help young people connect with employers and a partnerships broker to help employers connect with youth.

He says there are a lot of jobs available and a lot of employers have come on board.

"We want to get engagement from young people, showing who they are and creating these online profiles."

Steve says they recently had an awesome example of how it works where a young person developed an online profile through Youthhub, and then his mother got excited and shared his profile link.

An employer then saw it, offered the young man an interview, and he got the job within a week.

Youthhub partnerships broker Kirsten Bangs says industry nights are going to be starting up as a way for young people to meet with employers.

The first one is on November 14 with the trades and timber industry.

Trade Aid Rotorua's longest-serving volunteer Heather Doelman cutting the birthday cake. Photo / Supplied

'Youth can come and check out what the industry is about and how to get into the industry.'

There will also be workshops on Wednesdays from 3pm to 4pm aimed at supporting youth to profile themselves effectively.

Kirsten says there are 45 local businesses on board now, and Youthhub has been getting great feedback from employers who are finding it effective.

"It gives them an opportunity to put recruitment into reverse. They wouldn't sign up unless they had good intentions."

Navigator Yasmin Beizlle says when it comes to young people putting themselves out there it can feel alienating.

She says youth feel more confident working with them because they are youth and have experience with the same situation.

Steve says this year's Youthhub boost is possible through Bay Bright Futures.

The style and function of Youthhub.co.nz has similarities to Facebook, and integrates Instagram as a means to capture a wider perspective of a young person's social record or life journey.

There are job opportunities coming up and the Youthhub team at the Rotorua Youth Centre are encouraging youth to connect directly with employers.